A Special Bond
by horseaholic
Summary: McGee-centric. McGee has been dating someone for six months, but he hasn't introduced her to the team yet. Events soon follow that will change both their lives forever. Not your average McGeeOC story. Details inside. Dedicated to Laine3112.
1. Chapter 1

_Standard disclaimers apply. Tags to Dog Tags, Judgment Day, Parts I and II, Truth Or Consequences, and Heartland (so far.) If I owned the show, I assure you, I wouldn't be a poor college student living in a cramped dorm room..._

_This story is McGee-centric. There _is _an OC, but it's not what you think, so stick with me. :)_

_Rating right now is T, but will probably change to M later, for reasons I will explain beforehand._

_I feel it is necessary to forewarn readers well ahead of time of a few things:_

_1. This is a cancer story. I promise to post warnings before the specific cancer chapters, just in case. I have been fortunate enough to not lose anyone close to me to cancer. However, with Laine3112's gracious help, it's how the story unfolded and how it basically wrote itself. I have done as much research as I possibly could, while being busy with school and trying to keep my grades up, and also while trying to also find a future summer job AND doing a huge musical theatre audition in the meantime, in order to make the symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis as real and accurate as is possible with fanfiction. I hope what I have come up with, with the research assisting me, is acceptable. I've done the best I can. This story is dedicated with much love and thanks to Laine3112, who has helped me as much as she could along the way._

_2. That also being said, there may be some OOC McGee in future chapters. Please don't discredit me for this, as I think it's understandable and accurate... or will be, anyway._

_3. The OCD in me would like there to be a third, because as Tony says in Chimera, 'everything happens in threes', lol... but at this point, off the top of my head, I don't think there will be. At least not for now. This may change in the future, but right now, I'm not sure. I'll be sure to let you guys know._

_Here is chapter 1. It starts exactly six months post 'Dog Tags', also post 'Heartland.' Enjoy. :)_

** A Special Bond**

**Chapter 1**

* * *

The bullpen was quiet at the end of a long day, finishing up a case they had caught earlier that week, which took them to Stillwater, Pennsylvania. The team worked late in silence, finishing up some final paperwork and reports, before they all headed home to a free weekend. The team was ready for some much-needed time off.

Gibbs was up in MTAC, talking with Vance about the completion and closing of the case.

Tony's head shot up, as he again fought not to nod off over his mountain of paperwork.

Ziva rubbed her eyes wearily, as she stared at her computer sleepily.

McGee, meanwhile, was typing away at his computer, fingers clattering away at the keys; but his mind was clearly somewhere else.

"Probie." Tony's voice broke harshly through McGee's thoughts, startling him. He jumped. "What are you McThinking about?"

"Just ready to head home, Tony," McGee said. "Been a long day, that's all."

"Want some company tonight?" Tony asked.

"No thanks, Tony," McGee said, trying to get the senior agent off his back. "I think I'm just gonna turn in early. I haven't spent a lot of time with Anna in the past couple weeks and need to see her again."

Anna was McGee's girlfriend. They had met the night of April 15th, 2008, and had been dating so far for six months. The team had heard a lot about her from McGee, but had yet to meet her.

Tony nodded. "Alright, well, I'm around if you want male company."

McGee nodded. "I appreciate it," he said, "but I'd really just like some time alone."

Tony, however unconvinced he was, nodded, then let the subject drop.

McGee hated hiding her from them, in a sense; but he knew he wanted to time the meeting right. He considered his relationship with Anna to be sacred and private and didn't want to just bring her to work, then have her leave; it needed to be more special than that, for him to be satisfied with it.

"How is Anna, McGee?" Ziva asked, breaking away from her computer for a moment to talk.

"She's good," McGee said. "Busy with work, though her schedule is at least relatively normal, in comparison to ours. She's making dinner at her place tonight, so I'm heading over there as soon as I get off and feed Jethro at home."

Ziva nodded. "What is she making?" she asked.

"Italian," McGee said, smiling.

"That sounds wonderful, McGee," Ziva said. "I hope we get to meet her soon. We've heard a lot about her. She sounds like a nice woman."

"That she is, Ziva," McGee said, smiling, "that she is. You'll meet her soon, I promise. I just want to do it right."

Ziva nodded and, not one to pry, let the subject drop.

After another hour passed, Gibbs told the team to pack up and go home and get some sleep. McGee went home, and fed Jethro; then, as the German Shepard ate, McGee changed into something more casual. After, he headed out to go to Anna's apartment for a while.

Anna was making dinner when he arrived. The delicious smell of marinara sauce permeated her entire apartment.

"Hey," she said, smiling as he knocked and walked in. "How was work?"

"Long," McGee groaned, coming over and kissing her hello. He sighed, then smiled. "But my reward is, I get to see you. I brought a bottle of wine. California White Zinfandel, 2007."

Anna smiled. "Dinner's almost ready," she said. "Would you mind setting the table, please?"

"Sure," McGee said.

He went over to her cupboards and got out two plates, regular glasses, silverware from a drawer, and two wine glasses and set the table. He also went into her linen closet and got out two napkins.

Anna brought out the Italian penne and sausage dish when the table was set.

"This looks wonderful, babe," McGee said.

"Thank you," Anna said, smiling, as she sat down across from him. "So what did you do at work today?"

"We had a long day," said McGee. "Reader's Digest version of it is a dad who owned a coal mine killed his own son, so the son wouldn't have a relationship with a girl he didn't know was his half-sister, who was already pregnant when the son got out of jail."

"Wow," Anna said, "that's ridiculous."

"It was intense, for sure," McGee said. "So it's been a long couple weeks. I'm ready for a weekend off with you." He smiled. "How was work for you?"

"Good," Anna said. "I spent the day photographing a couple families and some teenage girls for senior pictures. It was nice."

"Cool," McGee said. "I love hearing about your work. So," he added, holding up his wine glass, "what do we drink to?"

"Mm, how about that kiss you're about to give me?" she asked seductively, smiling.

"Mm, I'll drink to that," McGee said.

They touched their glasses together, then drank, followed by a kiss.

"Remember when we met?" Anna asked.

"Yeah," McGee said, smiling. "It was after the case where I adopted Jethro."

"Yeah," Anna said. "It was March, wasn't it?"

"April," McGee said, "April 15th. Wouldn't you know, I'd meet the girl of my dreams on Tax Day."

Anna grinned, stabbing a bite of penne on her fork. "It was an interesting night," she said. "We met at the bar by accident."

McGee smiled, letting the memory wash over him.

_On April 15, 2008, following the closing of the case, McGee headed home with newly-christened Jethro the German Shepard, fed him, then changed into something casual, ate a leftovers dinner himself; then, instead of going to bed early, he headed out to the bar for some alone time. The team often met at this bar after work for some together downtime. He knew Tony was entirely, sometimes all-too-willing, to spend some time with him, but he had been working with his counselor for almost a year now on, for one, being OK with taking one day off a week and having an alone time night._

_He entered the bar and went and sat on a stool. He ordered a Morgan and coke when the bartender asked what he wanted, then sat quietly as he drank his drink, allowing his thoughts to sort themselves out. With his right hand, he gently felt at the gauze and bandages protecting his neck wound and looked down at his left arm, where Jethro had bitten him that morning._

_There were moments where McGee wished he could change the name, because it was giving him a mild complex, but Abby had said it to the German Shepard so much that it was now stuck._

_He ran through the day in his mind. As his thoughts of the day came to an end, he scanned the bar, taking a moment to look at the Fallen Agents wall; then his eyes came to rest on a slender brunette, who was also sitting alone, a frozen margarita in front of her. McGee blushed and quickly looked away when she met his gaze unblinkingly._

_She smiled, the second time their eyes met._

_The third time McGee looked at her, he managed an awkward smile in return._

Discretion was never your strong suit, McGee,_ McGee chastised himself._

_After what seemed like a moment of consideration, the young woman got up from her table and went over to him._

"_What happened to you?" she asked, bypassing all the small talk._

"_I was attacked on the job by a vicious dog," McGee said, so easily he himself was convinced by his story._

_The woman gasped. "Oh, my God," she said. "What kind of dog?"_

"_German Shepard," McGee said._

"_Oh... I'm Anna, by the way," she said, finally introducing herself. "Anna Springs."_

"_Timothy McGee," McGee said._

"_Cute name," Anna said, smiling. "It's nice to meet you. So what brings you here tonight?"_

"_Just got off work for the day and needed some time away," McGee said._

"_Where do you work?" Anna asked._

"_I'm an N.C.I.S. Special Agent," McGee said, smiling more strongly._

"_Really?" Anna asked, intrigued._

"_Yeah," McGee said, "ever heard of it?"_

_Anna smiled. "Yeah, actually," she said. "I've got military all over my family."_

"_Really?" McGee asked._

"_Granddad was in the Army, cousin in the Marines, cousin in the Air Guard, uncle in the Navy, two other cousins in the Navy..." Anna said, grinning._

"_Wow," McGee said, surprised._

"_What about you?" Anna asked._

"_Well, I was supposed to join the military upon graduating high school, but I didn't want to," McGee said. "My family didn't seem to appreciate that too much. My dad is retired from the Navy."_

_"What did you do instead?" Anna asked._

_"Instead of joining the Navy, I d__id my undergrad at Johns Hopkins University, biomedical engineering, then got my Masters in computer forensics at MIT."  
_

"_Wow," Anna said. "I have an Associate's Degree in professional photography— mainly wildlife, equine, and people."_

"_That's really cool," McGee said, smiling._

"_Thanks," Anna said, smiling. "I love my work."_

"_Me too," McGee said._

"_I mean, it's not thrilling by any means, comparing to being a Fed," Anna said._

"_Well... a lot of what we do isn't exciting," McGee said. "Thrilling, but not exciting."_

"_What all do you do?" Anna asked._

"_We're tasked with pursuing crimes that involve the United States Navy or Marine Corps and their families," McGee explained. "Our duties are expansive, international. Terrorism, espionage, even minor stuff, like drugs. I thought you knew about NCIS?" he added, giving her a curious look._

"_I do," Anna said, grinning. "It was just neat to hear it from you."_

_McGee smiled._

"_So you can shoot a gun?" Anna asked._

"_Um, yeah," McGee said modestly._

"_I've never shot a gun," Anna said._

"_I'll teach you, if you want," McGee offered. "We can go to the shooting range sometime."_

"_OK," Anna said, smiling._

_They continued talking, not realizing how much time was passing. Suddenly, McGee looked down at his watch and was shocked at the time— it was nearly Midnight._

"_Whoa, it's getting late," he said. "I should probably get going. I have to let my dog out. Sorry."_

"_It's OK," Anna said. "I should get going, too. But this has been fun."_

"_Yeah, it has," McGee said, smiling. "I don't usually do this."_

"_Do what?"_

"_This. Pick up women in bars." He ducked his head in embarrassment. "Sorry, that came out wrong."_

"_Oh," Anna said awkwardly. She smiled. "Well, I don't mind."_

"_Really?"_

"_No. You're cute."_

_McGee blushed, embarrassed, and smiled appreciatively. "Well... thank you."_

_Anna smiled._

"_Can I walk you out to your car?" McGee offered._

"_Sure. Thank you," Anna said, smiling again._

_McGee smiled, then walked her out to her car, after paying for the drinks._

"_You really are sweet," Anna told him sincerely, looking up at him._

_McGee smiled again. Already, he really liked Anna._

"_I had a good time talking with you tonight," McGee said, a pleased smile making its way across his face._

"_Me too," Anna said, smiling as she looked up at him. "Let's do it again sometime."_

_McGee nodded. "Sure. Can I... call you?" he asked hesitantly._

"_Sure," Anna said, and she gave him her number._

"_Thanks," McGee said, writing it on a piece of paper and pocketing it. "Well, I'll see ya."_

"_Yeah, I'll see ya," Anna said. Then she got into her car and drove away._

McGee smiled, as he also remembered the day after he had met Anna, how happy he had been throughout the day, thinking about her. He remember running into her a week after their initial meeting, at Barnes and Noble, where she worked a second job as an Assistant Manager, and asking her out on an official date.

"It's always been different with you, you know," McGee said, smiling, as the memory came to an end.

"What do you mean?" Anna asked, chuckling.

"Well," McGee said, "I mean, I've always been nervous about women, but you... you were different."

"Well, you've always been sweet to me," Anna said. "Before then, I seemed to only attract losers who made me believe chivalry had died. You were different, too."

"Well, you're worth it, Anna," McGee said, smiling.

Anna blushed and smiled, as they finished eating. McGee helped her wash dishes and put the remaining food away, then they lay down on the couch together.

"Different isn't bad at all," McGee said, remembering their first official date. "I mean, come on, how many people have a picnic in the rain, and have an entire huge park to themselves?"

Anna smirked. "Constitution Gardens. That was fun," she said.

"It was our first kiss," McGee said, smiling.

Anna smiled and nestled up against his strong chest.

"Dinner was wonderful," McGee said, kissing the top of her head. "Thank you, babe."

"You're welcome," Anna said, enjoying the feel of the rumble of his voice she could hear, with her head lying on his chest. "Do you want to cook next time?"

"Sure," McGee said, "whatever you'd like."

They lay together in silence for a few minutes. Then Anna said, "Tim, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what's up?" McGee asked, releasing his gentle hold on her so she could rotate to face him.

"When am I going to meet your team?" Anna asked, tracing her finger along his strong collarbone. "I know you're nervous about what they'll think; especially this Tony and your boss, Gibbs," she reasoned. "But I think you're probably over-thinking it. I don't want to be your secret lover. That's not good for you, emotionally. I want to be able to go get groceries with you, without worrying about who will see us and out our secret."

"I promise I will have you meet them really soon," McGee said sincerely. "There just hasn't been an opportunity arise yet, in order to do so."

Anna nodded. "I understand," she said, sighing.

"I promise, it will happen soon," McGee promised her. "I want to do it right."

"I believe you, Tim," Anna said, snuggling closer to him. Then they fell asleep together.

* * *

The following week, the bullpen was buzzing with news that was quickly spreading of the upcoming barbecue Abby was planning. As it could not be held at her apartment, it was being held at Gibbs' house, with his permission— on November 1, not October 31, much to Abby's disappointment.

Saturday arrived, bright, clear, and unusually warm for an early November day. McGee had decided earlier that week, the barbecue would be a perfect opportunity to introduce Anna to the team.

Gibbs was providing the hamburgers and hot dogs. Abby was bringing the drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Tony was bringing the chips and dip. And Ducky, Palmer, and Ziva were providing plates, cups, and silverware, so Gibbs didn't have a ton of dishes to do afterward. Anna and McGee were bringing the tablecloths and desserts.

Anna had taken another afternoon off and spent it baking desserts— cookies, brownies, bars, and she also bought ice cream— chocolate, vanilla, Neapolitan.

"Wow, Anna," McGee said, looking around at the varieties of desserts around the kitchen. "This all looks great. I take it you like to bake?"

"I love to," Anna said. "Something I inherited from my mom and my grandma."

"Cool," McGee said, taking a plate of Saran-wrapped cookies from her and heading out to his Porsche with the plate and tablecloths in hand.

They took the tablecloths and desserts over to Gibbs' house. They were the first of the team to arrive, besides Gibbs, of course.

"Hey, Boss," McGee said, when Gibbs answered the door. For a moment, he had to fight down a laugh— Gibbs was wearing a white-and-brown-colored apron with three pink pigs on the front, whose eyes were tiny lights that twinkled red and white. "How's your day going?" he asked, in what he hoped was a casual tone.

"Not bad, McGee," Gibbs said. "Who's this?" he asked, looking at Anna.

"This is Anna, Boss," McGee said, "my girlfriend. I thought the barbecue would be a good opportunity for her to meet everyone."

"Good thinking, McGee," Gibbs said.

"Thanks, Boss," McGee said, smiling and letting out a sigh of relief. At least Gibbs _seemed _to already be accepting Anna.

"It's nice to meet you, Agent Gibbs," Anna said.

"Gibbs is fine," Gibbs said casually.

"Alright," Anna said, before heading back to the backyard with McGee.

"It smells great, Boss," McGee said, as they set up the tablecloths and put out the dessert trays, save for putting the ice cream in the freezer.

Gibbs smiled. "There's cheese in the fridge for cheeseburgers and ketchup, mustard, relish, horseradish, whatever you guys want for the hot dogs, too."

"I'll get it," McGee said to Anna, who was still bringing in a couple trays of desserts from the car.

"Hey, guys," McGee said. "Gibbs is out back."

The team nodded and carried the various items to the backyard. It took Abby a few trips before all the alcohol had made it to its proper table. She had also brought a stereo and several CDs. Anna left the ice cream in the fridge, figuring they all could go back inside and get some if they wanted it.

"Is this Anna, McGee?" Ziva asked, once everything was set up and they were all filling their plates with food and drink.

"Yes," McGee said. "Anna, this is Ziva, Tony, Abby, Ducky, and Palmer."

"It's so nice to finally meet you," Abby said enthusiastically, coming forward and hugging Anna.

"She is a hugger," McGee added to Anna, who looked confused.

"It's nice to meet you all," Anna said to them, smiling.

"How long have you two been dating?" Abby asked.

"About six months," Anna answered.

"Why did we not meet her sooner, McGee?" Ziva asked.

"I wanted the timing to be right," McGee said. "And this worked out quite nicely, don't you think?"

"Yes," Ziva said. To Anna, she added, "We've all been anxious to meet you."

"Yeah, I've been bugging Tim about it for a couple weeks now, myself," Anna said.

Everyone sat down at the two picnic tables to eat. After they were finished eating, Ziva helped Gibbs wash what dishes they had used, then they sat around and talked the evening away.

After a while, Abby pulled everyone away to dance. Gibbs and Ducky, however, remained behind to talk. She first put in a Lady Gaga CD and everyone danced to "Poker Face."

"Abby, really?" Tony asked, as he alternated dancing with her and Ziva. "Lady Gaga?"

Abby merely shrugged and smiled, as she danced with Palmer.

After the Lady Gaga CD ended, Abby took it out and replaced it with the Bina Misty version of "Hot Hot Hot."

Eventually, it was time for everyone to head their separate ways. McGee and Anna took the remainder of the desserts and tablecloths back to Anna's apartment. They lay down on the couch together, McGee running his fingers absent-mindedly through Anna's hair.

"I had a great time today," Anna said. "Thank you for taking me. I'm glad I met everyone. I like your team."

"Thank you for coming," McGee said, smiling. "It was fun." He looked down at her. "You seem tired. Want me to go, so you can get some sleep?"

"Oh, I'm just worn out from the party. I should head to bed, I guess," Anna said reluctantly.

"Maybe," McGee said. "Hey, you know that's what I told Tony, before the night I met you."

"What do you mean?" Anna asked.

"Well, the night we met, I was gonna just head to bed early, since it had been a long day," McGee explained. "Instead of going to bed, I had dinner, changed clothes, and headed out to the bar. Then I met you."

Anna smiled. "I'm glad you did," she said.

"Me too," McGee said, stroking her hair. "Are you ready to head to bed?"

"I guess," Anna said reluctantly. "I'd much rather stay here with you."

McGee smiled. "I'd stay the night," he said, "but I didn't bring anything with me."

Anna got up and McGee pulled her into his arms. "We may have to change that matter," she said. McGee nodded. "I guess I'll just have to see you tomorrow, then."

"Yeah," McGee said, kissing the top of her head. Her head came to just beneath his chin. He loved the feel of her body against his. "Get some sleep."

"OK," Anna said. She looked up at him. "See you tomorrow. I love you, Tim."

McGee swallowed hard for a moment. It wasn't something he said very often. Then he replied, "I love you, too."

Anna smiled, then McGee left.

* * *

_Please review! Thanks._


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey, guys. I decided to update a day early. Happy St. Patrick's Day! I myself have maybe a smidgen of Irish blood. I'm mostly Norwegian, haha._

_Thanks so much for the kind reviews. They are so encouraging. Especially since I'm super sick of school and struggling to find a summer job at the moment. I've applied at about 20 places and gotten one callback, which I've put on hold, in hopes that other positions I'm more interested in get back to me first. So it's just a waiting game now. Wish me luck. Thanks also to those of you who have added the story to your favorites and/or alerts. I hope you alerters review, too. :)_

_In case you're curious, I started writing this story around mid-February. Based off the prompt that can be found at the following link:_

_http:/_

_forum_

_.fanfiction_

_.net_

_/topic_

_/57396/33781855_

_/1/_

_Sorry, I have to space it out like that or the Document Manager will think it's spam and won't show it all. Take out the enters and add in the second / and you should see it. If not, let me know in a review, PM, or email and I will fix it._

___Obviously, I did not follow the entire prompt, as eventually, the story wrote itself, but I thought you guys would be interested in seeing the basis of my idea for this fic._  


_And a month later, suddenly, the story was completed being written. I will be updating a chapter a week__._

_Also, on another note, I'm taking requests/challenges/prompts! Doesn't have to be just NCIS. Read my profile for more info and send them on, please! :) I really don't like not writing. Not having ideas is one thing, but not writing at all when you have ideas and want more ideas and possibilities is even worse, in my opinion, lol. Is there anywhere on FFN where some challenges are listed? I tried to figure out LJ, but failed... :/ Any help is appreciated. :)_

_Also, I don't own any Miss Congeniality references. :) This chapter is twice as long as normal, but for reasons you will quickly find out, I just couldn't stop! :) Enjoy. :)_

**Chapter 2**

* * *

During the next several months, Anna and McGee's relationship continued to flourish. McGee found himself spending more and more time at Anna's apartment, rather than his own.

On a warm April evening, McGee decided to surprise Anna and pick her up from the studio where she did a majority of her photography shooting.

"Hey," McGee said, smiling, knocking on the door of her office and leaning against the doorframe.

"Hey," Anna said, smiling and going over and kissing him. "This is a nice surprise."

McGee smiled and leaned down and kissed her again.

Suddenly, Anna's cell phone rang. She broke away from McGee's lips with a frustrated huff, to answer it.

"Sorry," she said to McGee, as he rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Just a second. One second." She flipped open her phone. "Hello? Hi, Mom... I'm good, how are you...? Mom, we've had this discussion before. I can't just pack up and leave without giving work at least two weeks' notice in writing..."

"Just try, honey," McGee overheard her mother beg. "It can't hurt. You never come and see us. Please, just take one weekend off soon and come see us. We aren't far away."

"I know, Mom, but I do have bills to pay..." Anna started to argue.

"I know, honey, but I hope you're at least finding time to date," said Anna's mother. "You and I aren't getting any younger, you know?"

"Actually, Mom," Anna said, grinning up at McGee, "I'm finding a lot of time to date."

"Oh?" Anna's mother asked. "And when am I going to be able to meet this gentleman?"

"I dunno, Mom. I'll talk to Conway and see what he says," Anna said, referring to her boss.

"And your brother's coming home to visit in two weeks, too," Anna's mother said. "So I hope you'll be able to come."

"Johnny's coming home?" Anna asked, surprised. "Oh, duh, Tax Season is almost over. Cool. I'll talk to Conway and will let you know, OK?" She couldn't hold back a giggle, as McGee's lips began assault her neck and his hands began to wander all over her body, as though silently persuading her to hurry up and get off the phone and go with him. "Um, Mom, I'm sorry," she said, giggling the whole time, "I have to go. I'll call you later."

Before her mother could continue, she flipped her cell phone shut, let out a giddy squeal, and returned her attention to McGee.

"Wow, how was that for modified phone sex," she laughed. McGee smirked. "I have a report to fill out, then we can go," Anna added to him. Then she giggled again, when McGee didn't stop nuzzling her. "Not that I don't love you paying attention to me, but the sooner I finish it, the sooner we can go."

McGee smirked, then released her. "Alright, but if you don't hurry up, I'm gonna start without you."

Anna laughed.

A few minutes later, Anna was finished writing her report. She filed it, then joined McGee at the door and took his hand.

"OK, I'm ready."

"Good," McGee said, smiling. "So I was hoping I could take you somewhere tonight."

"Oh?" Anna asked. "Where?"

"Well, I know it's not romantic, but I thought we could go to the shooting range, if you wanted," McGee said.

"_Au contraire, mon amour,_" Anna said, smiling. "I'm down with that if you are."

"Sure," McGee said. "I've already gotten clearance from Gibbs."

"Gibbs?" Anna said, surprised. "I thought Vance needed to clear us?"

"Uh... let's just say Gibbs is easier to convince," McGee said awkwardly. "This is under Vance's radar."

Anna smiled, as she gathered up her things. Then she locked the studio and left with McGee.

* * *

"OK, so first, you need the right gun," McGee instructed, at the shooting range. He went over to a locked cabinet and got out two hand guns. "These are just Glocks, standard 9-mils whose bullets can be purchased in both the United States and Europe. Which I think is pretty neat trivia. Since this is unofficial training, we couldn't get away with using Sigs."

Anna nodded.

"Now that we have our guns, next step is protective gear," McGee said. "I'd like you to wear a Kevlar vest, since it's your first time."

"OK," Anna said, putting on the vest McGee handed her.

"Goggles, too," McGee said, handing her a pair of goggles.

Anna nodded, then put them on when McGee handed them to her.

"And most importantly, ear protection, especially since we're in a confined area," McGee said, handing her noise-reducing headgear.

Anna nodded and put on the headgear.

"OK, now we clean the gun, then go shoot your first target," McGee said, beckoning her to follow him.

McGee showed her how to clean the gun, then they went out to the range. When Anna saw her first target, she gave McGee a skeptical look.

"I'm shooting an _orange_, Tim?"

"Yes," said McGee. "You shoot squishy fruit before you shoot our human lookalike targets. That way, you'll know if you're really OK with it."

Anna smirked. "Makes sense," she conceded.

"Plus, if you can hit your target with an orange, you'll have good luck with our human targets, too," said McGee.

Anna nodded.

McGee showed her how to load the gun, then positioned himself behind Anna and helped her cock it, aim, and fire.

The orange exploded into juicy bits.

Anna turned and looked at McGee, surprised.

"That was sweet," she said, grinning. "No pun intended."

McGee smiled and set up another orange. "Beginner's luck," he said.

"Haha, you wish!" Anna teased him, laughing.

"Try again," said McGee.

This time, by herself, Anna aimed, fired, and destroyed another orange.

McGee grinned. "Good work," he said. "Ready to try the human targets?"

"Yes," Anna said eagerly.

They moved to the area where the human targets stood. Anna aimed and McGee steadied her shaking hands.

"Steady," he said quietly.

After a moment of intense concentration, Anna fired, hitting the target in the head.

McGee nodded approvingly. "Again," he instructed.

Anna brought her weapon up, aimed, then fired again. This time, she hit the target in the groin.

McGee looked at her, impressed. "Anna," he said, smirking and clapping her on the shoulder, "you're a natural."

Anna grinned. "Have you ever shot anyone in the balls, Tim?" she asked.

"No," McGee said. "We aim for the chest area vitals as much as we can. Makes for a faster take-down when necessary."

Anna nodded.

"I _did _see Gibbs shoot a suspect in the ass once, though," Tim remarked, "three years ago. He needed him taken in alive."

Anna burst out laughing. "Oh, my _God_."

McGee grinned, then took her gun from her and they left the range and went back to the equipment storage area. McGee unloaded both guns, though he had not used his own, and put them away in the locked cabinet.

"This was a lot of fun," Anna said, as they were putting away their noise-reducing headgear.

"Yeah, it was. It's fun, when you aren't training," McGee said. "Training isn't bad, since I love what I do, but it's nice to be able to finally come down here all in fun. You're a good shot."

Anna smiled. "Beginner's luck," she said, grinning. "Where do the Kevlar vests go?"

"In that cabinet, on the hangers," McGee said, pointing to a second cabinet.

Anna opened the cabinet and put away her vest. "Hey, Tim, can I ask you something?" she asked.

"Sure, what's up?" McGee asked.

"Have you thought about bringing some clothes and stuff over to my place, to fill a drawer?"

"Do you want me to?" McGee asked her, as they put away their goggles.

"Of course I do," Anna said. "We've been together for almost a year. You spend more time at my place than you do your own and have since we'd been going out for only a couple months. It only makes sense."

"What if we got our own place?" McGee asked, throwing the idea out in the open.

"What?" Anna asked, caught off-guard.

"I mean, do you want to?" McGee asked her.

"Yes, I do," Anna said. "But only if you're OK with it."

"Yeah, I'm OK with it," McGee said. "I mean, we don't have to worry about money."

"Why not?" Anna asked.

"Um... Let's just say we would do fine, from my novel's earnings," McGee said awkwardly.

"Tim, you don't have to feel bad about talking about your money with me," Anna said seriously. "I'm not with you for your money. I'm happy that you've found success with your books."

McGee nodded. "Thank you. I appreciate it," he said, leaning down to kiss her.

"Well, I'll clean out a drawer for you," Anna said, as they parted, "if you'll do one thing for me."

"What?" McGee asked nervously.

"I'd like you to meet my family," Anna said.

"Really?" McGee asked.

"Well, my brother's coming home from Boston to visit, since Tax Season will be over in a week. It'd be a perfect opportunity for you to meet him and my parents and see the place where I grew up," Anna said.

"OK," McGee said.

"Really?" Anna asked, excited. "You're sure you can get the time off?"

McGee nodded. "It means a lot to you," he said. "I'm sure Gibbs will understand. Besides, it's the weekend, which I have off anyway, and the train will get us back in time on Sunday night."

Anna squealed with delight and hugged him. "Alright, that's awesome. I'll call my mom later and let her know."

"OK," McGee said, smiling. He was glad to make her happy. "But what will I wear?"

Anna squealed with excitement and hugged him again. "Oh, it doesn't matter. Jeans and T-shirts, for all I care. I'm just happy you're going to come! Wait 'til you meet my brother!"

McGee laughed, both nervously and with excitement, then left the range with her.

* * *

On Friday night, Anna and McGee took the Acela train from Union Station in D.C. to the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia.

"I told my mom we're on the Express Train, so she says she's making a late dinner. My brother will pick us up at the station," Anna said.

"OK," McGee said. "What is she making?"

"She said she wanted to surprise us," Anna said. "She already likes you, I can tell."

"How?" McGee asked.

"Why else would she be bugging me over the phone about whether or not I was dating?" Anna teased him.

McGee grinned.

When their train arrived, they got their luggage and stepped off the train onto the street. A loud horn honked and a young man, who looked about 30, pulled up in a Chevrolet Chevelle SS and jumped out.

"Anna, hey," he called out, rushing up to them.

"Johnny! What the hell? You got a Chevelle?" Anna yelled, running up to her brother and ramming into him in a hug.

"Yeah, well, two promotions in one year when both of my bosses finally retire, it pays well," Johnny said, grinning. He looked over at the car. "So what do you think?"

"It's awesome," Anna said. "So much for midlife crisis."

Johnny laughed. "I'll give you midlife crisis, little sister," he said, ruffling Anna's hair fondly.

"Don't, Johnny, you'll mess up my hair!" Anna exclaimed.

"Oh, right, I forgot, dance OCD," Johnny teased her. "Can't have a single strand out of place."

Anna laughed and hit him on the shoulder.

"It really is great to see you," Johnny said, hugging her again. "I'm glad you decided to come. Be warned, Mom is making, like, three lasagnas, so you two had better be hungry."

"We are," Anna assured him. "Johnny, this is my boyfriend, Timothy McGee."

"Hey, it's nice to finally meet you, man," Johnny said, shaking McGee's hand. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Likewise," McGee said, smiling looking eye-to-eye with the handsome man, who had Anna's same brunette hair and green eyes.

Johnny helped them load their luggage into the trunk, then they headed to the house.

"So how did you two meet?" he asked.

"We happened to be at a bar my team often hits after work," McGee explained nervously. "She came over and started talking with me, noticing I had bandages and stuff on my face and arm, from being bitten by a dog on the job." McGee didn't mention that this dog was now his adopted Jethro, whom Abby was thrilled to be caring for over the weekend.

"That sounds like my sister, always making the first move," Johnny said, laughing.

Anna scoffed. "I do not!" she laughed.

"What do you mean, your team?" Johnny asked McGee.

"I work for N.C.I.S. in D.C.," McGee said. "I'm a Special Agent. That bar happens to be home to our Fallen Agents Wall."

Johnny nodded. "Gotcha," he said. "Leave it up to my sister to end up dating a Fed," he teased.

"Can Tim take this baby for a spin sometime, Johnny?" Anna asked, ignoring his previous remark. When Johnny hesitated, she added, "He owns a Porsche. I'm pretty sure he knows how to take care of a nice car."

"Sure, man, if you want," Johnny said to McGee, smiling.

They pulled into the driveway and Johnny turned the engine off.

"We'd better head in before Mom goes postal," Johnny said, grinning at them.

Anna looked up at McGee, who was still looking slightly uncomfortable. To Johnny, she added, "We'll be in in a minute."

"OK," Johnny said, jumping out of the car and heading into the house.

"You OK, babe?" Anna asked McGee.

"Yeah," McGee replied. "I'm just nervous. Your brother seems like a great guy."

"If you're worried about my parents, don't be," Anna said. "My mom already likes the sound of you. My dad will give you grief, but just don't take it personally. He's only putting on a show for his little girl."

McGee swallowed nervously. "Alright."

"I love you," Anna said, as they got out of the car together.

"I love you, too," McGee said.

"Mom, we're here," Anna called out, as they entered the red oak house.

There was the sound of rapidly-pattering feet, then Anna bent down and picked up a Chihuahua.

"Hi, little boy!" she exclaimed happily, as the Chihuahua all-too-eagerly licked her face. Though the puppy would not settle down, Anna added to McGee, "Tim, this is my PomChi, Pomeranian-Chihuahua, Bruzier, named after Elle Woods' Chihuahua in _Legally Blonde_. He's seven months old." McGee tried to pet the dog, but it shied away. "He will be skittish with you for probably a day or so, but if you play with him, he'll hopefully get to liking you."

McGee nodded. They heard the sound of rushing footsteps, then a woman whom McGee assumed to be Mrs. Springs rushed forward.

"Hi," Mrs. Springs said brightly, coming forward to envelop her daughter in a loving hug.

"Hi, Mom," Anna said brightly, smiling. Anna's father came walking out from the kitchen as well. "Hi, Pops."

"Hi," Mr. Springs said. He wasn't smiling, but his eyes were twinkling.

"Mom, Dad, this is my boyfriend, Tim," Anna introduced McGee.

"It's nice to finally meet you," Mr. and Mrs. Springs said politely.

"You must be starving," Mrs. Springs said. "Let's sit down to eat and we can get to know you better over lasagna and garlic bread. And I made hip-huggers, too."

Anna's mouth fell open excitedly. "My favorite dessert," she explained happily to McGee.

McGee smiled and joined Anna and her family in the dining room, after washing their hands in the nearby bathroom.

"It looks wonderful, Mrs. Springs," McGee said to Anna's mother.

"Thank you. And please, call me Cara," said Anna's mother.

"OK, Cara," McGee said, smiling.

They talked throughout dinner, then spent a couple hours playing fetch with Bruzier. Then, as the puppy fell asleep, they watched a movie. By the time the movie ended, Anna was exhausted.

They headed down to the basement, where Anna's old room was.

"I haven't been down here in ages," she said, "but you're going to love it. I have my own bathroom and entertainment room. It's great. Did you have a nice time tonight?" she asked, sliding open the French doors to her bedroom and revealing a colorful room with a queen-sized bed.

McGee suddenly laughed.

"What?" Anna asked him.

"Well, look at your room. You always tell me you hate pink. Then we come in here and _everything _is pink," McGee remarked, laughing.

"Well, I haven't remodeled my room since I was 15, so... that's my excuse about that. And the green, my favorite color, balances it out," Anna retorted, laughing. "Answer my question."

"Yeah," McGee said, "your family is great. I like them a lot."

"Good, because they like you," Anna said, hauling her suitcase onto a chair next to her old dresser. "My dad will warm up to you. He just wants someone who will look out for me, although I'm good at doing that myself."

McGee nodded understandingly. "They aren't shy, that's for sure. I mean, your dad's kinda quiet, but your mom and brother definitely aren't."

"He and I inherited our gregarious traits from my mom and our seriousness from my dad," Anna said.

McGee nodded. "We should probably get some sleep," he said. "Tomorrow and Sunday will be pretty busy."

"Yeah," Anna agreed, yawning.

She changed into her pajamas and brushed out her ponytail for the night and McGee changed into his boxers. Then they climbed into bed and lay together, arms wrapped around each other, and fell asleep in each other's loving embrace.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in D.C., the rest of the team had gotten together at Gibbs' house to spend some quality time with each other. They had dinner and dessert, then watched a movie.

"So how do you think it goes for McGeek up north?" Tony asked Ziva, while they were eating dinner. Gibbs had prepared a hot dish and Tony had brought along movies the entire team had agreed on to watch.

"Why, are you worried?" Ziva asked curiously.

"Nah," Tony said. "It's just weird for him not to call."

"It is the weekend, Tony. McGee is with Anna. He is also an adult. He is not going to take time away from her to check in with us, his boss and coworkers," Ziva pointed out.

"I think he would, at least every couple of days," Tony said. "I have a theory."

"What?" Ziva asked suspiciously.

"Twenty bucks says McGee proposes this weekend," Tony said, grinning.

"What makes you think he will?" Ziva asked.

"Well, it's been a year and she's taken him to meet her family," Tony said. "I would be surprised if he came back _not _engaged."

"He will be upset with you if he finds this out," Ziva said.

"He'll get over it. It's in his best interest," Tony said, taking off his baseball cap and passing it around the group. Even Gibbs, smirking, dropped in a twenty-dollar bill.

* * *

The next day, McGee woke up first. It was 8:30. He slipped carefully out of bed, taking care not to disturb Anna. He pulled on a pair of jeans and an MIT T-shirt, then went upstairs to the kitchen and found Cara sitting at the table, reading the newspaper, and Sam in the kitchen, making pigs-in-a-blanket, sausage and eggs, waffles, fried potatoes, and pancakes for breakfast.

"Wow, Sam," McGee said. "I don't think I've ever seen such a smorgasbord."

A rare smile crossed Sam's face. "Well, the kids don't come home very often, so I like to make a big breakfast when they come. Plus, we'll be busy all day, so we won't eat again until later tonight." Sam dished the various foods onto platters and set them on the table. "Go ahead and help yourself, Tim."

"Thank you," McGee said, pouring himself a cup of coffee and joining them at the kitchen table. "Good coffee," he added, after taking a sip.

"Is anyone else up yet?" Cara asked.

"Anna's still sleeping," McGee said. "I haven't seen Johnny yet."

"Oh, he won't be long," Cara said, smiling. "He's not the sleeping in type. Anna is when she can be, though."

McGee smiled, thinking about Anna sleeping downstairs. She always ended up sleeping on her back, after some tossing and turning to get comfortable, always with her left arm above the covers and the other behind her head, beneath her pillow. He also had noticed during the night that her right hand unconsciously grabbed onto the metal bars of her headboard while she slept.

"Aren't you going to eat, Tim?" Cara asked.

"Oh," McGee said awkwardly. "I was gonna wait for Anna."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Sam said. He grinned. "She knows if she snoozes, she loses, at least on breakfast."

McGee smiled awkwardly, then took another sip of his coffee to hide the fact.

A few minutes later, Johnny stumbled into the kitchen, mumbling something about 'needing coffee.' He made a beeline for the coffee pot, then, after taking his first sip, said, "Good morning, everybody. Anna still sleeping, Tim?"

"Yeah," McGee said. "She was really tired last night, so I let her sleep."

"Did you two...?" Johnny asked, smirking.

"No!" McGee said quickly, blushing. "No, of course not."

"Johnny, knock it off," Cara scolded her son.

Johnny grinned. "Nah," he said to McGee, "go wake her up." He began to pile pancakes and sausage onto his plate. "She won't want to miss co-kickboxing later this afternoon, trust me."

"Oh," McGee said, nodding, "OK. Be right back."

McGee smiled as he set down his cup, then went downstairs to Anna's room. He slowly climbed into bed with her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Mm, morning," Anna murmured sleepily. She took off her eye mask and looked at him. "What time is it?"

"Almost nine," McGee said. "You're the last to get up."

"Figures," Anna muttered. "I was so tired."

"Well, let's get dressed, then get something to eat," McGee said. "I'm starving."

"No," Anna whined, "I wanna stay here with you."

McGee chuckled and kissed her on the cheek. "I know, babe, but if you don't get up and eat, you'll miss kickboxing this afternoon, Johnny said."

"Oh," Anna said, then she sat up. "No, I wouldn't wanna miss that."

"Get dressed and come eat," McGee said, smiling. "We've got a big day ahead of us."

Anna noticed the way he was smiling. "What have you got up your sleeve?" she asked suspiciously.

McGee grinned. He waited for her to dress, then they walked upstairs and into the kitchen, holding hands. After a hearty breakfast, they spent the rest of the morning playing card and board games and talking. At 12:45, they headed over to one of the local gyms to partake in co-family kickboxing.

"Are you ready for this?" Anna asked, grinning, as they put on their head protection and boxing gloves.

Suddenly, McGee got this unusually crazy urge to want to impress Anna. He took off his head protection, then looked at Johnny.

"Come on, Johnny, let's go," he said, grinning, as he jumped up into the ring.

"Alright!" Johnny exclaimed excitedly. He threw aside his head protection as well, then jumped up and joined McGee in the ring.

As Anna and her parents watched, they moved around in a circle, then began to throw some punches.

"So do they teach you boxing at N.C.I.S.?" Johnny asked McGee, as they circled around and punched each other.

"Nope," McGee said, blocking a punch Johnny threw, then returning his own, which Johnny blocked as well. "Not bad, Johnny."

"Thanks," Johnny said. He threw a huge punch, which McGee avoided, sending Johnny off-balance.

Suddenly, in a swift motion, McGee grabbed Johnny's free arm, pulled him forward, punched his back, then flipped him onto his back.

As Johnny lay there for a moment, groaning, McGee said, "My boss is a former Marine. He teaches _fighting_."

Johnny nodded, groaning, as McGee swatted him on the cheek with his hand.

Outside the ring, Anna grinned, then applauded McGee, as Johnny got up. McGee bowed to her, grinning.

"I think my boyfriend just kicked your butt, bro," Anna said, grinning.

"Alright, you're up next, little sister," Johnny said seriously, beckoning to her.

Anna exchanged an evil grin with McGee, then put on her gloves and joined her brother in the ring.

"Trying to redeem yourself?" she teased him, as the began to circle around and punch each other.

"Haha," Johnny laughed.

Anna lunged forward and wrapped her arm around Johnny's neck in a choke hold. She didn't hold him for long; Johnny lifted her completely off her feet and slammed her onto the mat. Anna landed a firm kick on his shoulder. He rolled away from her, but before he could get up, she sat on top of him and held him down. He rolled over and she rolled with him, over and over, until Anna was on top of him, straddling his neck. Johnny was defenseless until he wrapped his legs around her entire body. Anna attempted to defend herself by slamming her legs against his ears, but it did nothing. They released each other after a moment, then Anna ran up and jumped on Johnny, slamming her arms onto his side in a defensive blow. She then pulled Johnny up in a choke hold, but Johnny countered it by completely flipping her over his body, landing her on her back, panting in exhaustion.

Anna got the last word in, however, kicking Johnny firmly in the ankles, sending him reeling onto his back on the floor. And the match was over.

"Alright, Anna!" McGee cheered, laughing. Anna and Johnny left the ring and Anna collapsed, grinning with exhaustion, into McGee's arms. "Good try, Johnny," he added to her brother.

Johnny smiled.

* * *

Later that night, Anna stumbled into the living room to find McGee staring at his laptop.

"Hey," she said softly. He jumped, startled, and quickly closed his laptop, before she could see what was on the screen. "What are you doing up? It's three a.m."

"Oh, just researching some things we could do tomorrow," he said evasively, looking up at her.

"You couldn't do that in the morning?" Anna asked him, confused.

"Well, technically, it is morning," McGee said, smirking.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Come back to bed," she said.

Instead of going back to bed with her, however, McGee turned around and pulled her into his arms.

"Actually... I want you to go somewhere with me," he said.

"Now?" Anna asked. "It's three a.m."

"Which means traffic won't be killer," McGee said. "Yes, now. We have to leave now, so we can get there before sunup."

"What do you mean?" Anna asked nervously.

"Do you trust me?" McGee asked her.

"Of course I do," Anna said.

"Then, quick, get some clothes on— sweatpants, for all I care— and let's go," McGee said, smiling.

"OK..." Anna said nervously, before going downstairs with him, getting dressed, and leaving with him.

A few hours later, they had arrived at their destination— Mount Davis, the highest point in Pennsylvania.

"Tim, what's going on?" Anna asked sleepily, as she awoke when McGee parked the car. She had fallen asleep the whole way. She looked around, confused. "Where are we?"

"Mount Davis," McGee said, before getting out of the car and going over to her side. He helped her out of the car and led her over to the platform, where they looked out at the scenic view.

"Wow," Anna said breathlessly, "it's like we're the only two people in the world."

McGee smiled and pulled her into his arms. "I love you, Anna," he said, "you know that."

Anna looked up at him. "I know. I love you, too."

"Marry me, Anna," McGee blurted out, before nerves could overwhelm him.

"Um, what?" Anna asked nervously.

"Marry me," McGee repeated, looking down at her. "I brought you to the highest point in Pennsylvania to tell you I love you and that I want to spend the rest of my life with you showing you how much I love you. I want to make it permanent. Marry me, babe."

Anna was stunned. "I... I... um, OK," she stuttered.

"Yeah?" McGee asked, grinning and looking down at her.

"Yeah," Anna said, grinning as well.

McGee held her close and kissed her tenderly. "I love you, Anna," he repeated.

"I don't doubt that, Tim," Anna said, tears falling down her face.

"I'm gonna make sure you never do," McGee said, smiling and holding her close to him, as they watched the sun rise over the horizon.

After several minutes passed, Anna said, "We should probably get back."

"Yeah, we should," McGee said. "Your parents will have breakfast ready and we have to tell everyone we're engaged before we head home this afternoon."

"Oh..." Anna hesitated. "Tim?" McGee looked down at her. "I was wondering if we could... you know... keep it to ourselves for a little while?"

"Sure, why?" McGee asked.

"Well... I'd like to meet your family first," Anna requested.

"OK, Anna, whatever you want," McGee said, lifting his hand to caress her face.

Anna smiled. "Anna McGee," she said. "It has a nice ring to it."

McGee smiled. "I'm sorry to be a killjoy, but I don't have a ring right now," he said. "My justification for that is I wanted to go ring shopping with Tony, but I didn't want the team to know about the engagement before you did. But I promise, with his help, you'll have the best ring ever."

Anna nodded. "I understand," she said. "Have Tony ring shop with you. He'll like that."

"Oh, you have no idea," McGee groaned, laughing. "He's gonna be bad."

Anna grinned, then raced him back to the car.

* * *

It was almost Noon when they arrived back at the Springs residence.

"Hey, you two," Cara said, smiling, as they came in the door. "Where have you been? We've been wondering."

Anna and McGee looked at each other nervously for a moment, then McGee recovered first and said, "We went for a drive."

Cara smiled. "That's nice," she said. "Are you guys heading back this afternoon?"

"Yeah, probably after we finish packing. No rush, though," McGee said.

Cara and Sam nodded.

"Is Johnny up yet?" Anna asked innocently.

"Nope," Sam said.

Suddenly, Anna got a mischievous look on her face, then she left the kitchen.

"Hey, where are you going?" McGee asked her.

"To battle," Anna whispered, grinning. She went down the hall, past the office, and quietly slid open the French door to Johnny's room. "Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty."

"What the hell?" Johnny growled. "Get the hell out, Anna."

"Haha, no way," Anna said, laughing and jumping on his bed. "You know you've missed your little sister waking you up."

"You are such a child sometimes," Johnny said, laughing.

"Oh, you know I'll never grow up," Anna retorted, laughing.

McGee grinned at the sight, then left Anna to have a few minutes alone with her brother. He went back to the kitchen and rejoined Cara and Sam at the breakfast table.

"I hear Johnny's up," Sam said, laughing.

"Oh yeah, Anna won the battle," McGee said, laughing.

"Anna always loved doing things with Johnny growing up," Cara said. "She was always OK being one of the boys. After she turned 13, though, she wouldn't let me do girly things with her much anymore. She's such a tomboy." Across the table, Sam smiled over his newspaper. "She's always been Daddy's little girl and I'm OK with that," Cara added, "especially since she lets me and her two aunts spoil her now and then with shopping sprees."

"She's got an independent soul," McGee agreed, nodding. "That's what I love about her."

They sat down and had some lunch, then Anna said she wanted to go lay down and take a nap before they packed up and headed home.

"You slept all morning, how could you be tired?" Johnny asked her.

"_You're _the one who slept til Noon, jerk," Anna retorted good-naturedly, rolling her eyes. "I happened to be up long before dawn this morning."

"Why?" Johnny asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at her.

"My secret," Anna said, narrowing her eyes back at him, then grinning. "Wanna join me?" she asked McGee.

"No, it's OK," McGee said. Anna looked surprised. McGee grinned. "Come on, you deserve some alone time. We can't spend twenty-four/seven with each other."

"We could try," Anna protested. When McGee didn't comply, she said, "Well, alright," then left the kitchen.

McGee looked back at Cara, Sam, and Johnny and smiled.

"She's been acting weird this morning," Sam said. "Anything we should know about?"

"Can you keep a secret?" McGee asked. He winced when they gave him suspicious looks, then they nodded. "I asked Anna to marry me this morning at Mount Davis and she said yes. I don't have a ring yet, but I will. I want to go ring shopping back home with my N.C.I.S. partner, Tony."

"Tim, that's—" Cara began excitedly.

"Cara, secret, remember?" McGee reminded her, laughing. "I don't even want Anna to know that you know. She wants to meet my family first, before we tell anyone else." He looked at Sam. "I'm sorry for not asking your permission first, sir, as I know it was wrong not to. But I've been trained within my work with about 50 rules and one of them is, it's better to seek forgiveness than to ask permission."

Sam couldn't hold back a smile. He nodded. "You're forgiven."

"You followed your heart, Tim," Cara said. "That's never wrong."

"Alright, Tim," Johnny said, clapping Tim on the shoulder. "You know, my sister always said how she was never gonna get married. I'm glad to see someone who could show her she could change her mind. And I'm glad to finally have a brother."

McGee smiled. "Thank you. I'm going to go pack up while she naps, if that's OK. It's been wonderful staying here."

"I'm glad you've had a good time," Cara said. "Tell you what. At dinner tonight, we'll have a little celebration, if you want."

"Sure, I think Anna would like that," McGee said. "Just something simple. Please don't feel obligated to overdo it."

Cara smiled. "Oh, I won't," she assured him.

McGee smiled, then went downstairs to Anna's room.

That afternoon, they had a small celebration party before heading back to D.C. Along the way, McGee and Anna made plans to take the following weekend off to go home to Bethesda, Maryland and have Anna meet McGee's parents and his sister, Sarah, who was temporarily living at home while she worked at finding a job involving writing somewhere. Anna didn't stop smiling the entire train ride home that evening.

* * *

_Just FYI, Cara is pronounced Car-uh, like how it's written._

_Oh, and I took a bit of a liberty with the shooting range scene. I've never been to one myself, so I researched it a bit before I wrote it. It was fun to write, lol._

_I had so much fun writing this chapter. You guys have no idea, lol. Please review! Thanks. :D_


	3. Chapter 3

_So I decided to change from updating weekly to updating daily or so. I will update chapter 4 on Tuesday, then chapter 5 probably on Thursday or so, as Wednesday is almost always my busiest school day. Hope you guys are happy. :)_

_Just a quick warning, there is a sex scene in this chapter. It's not as mature as some I've read in the past, since I don't do mature sex scenes, but I thought I'd post a warning just to be safe. Enjoy._

**Chapter 3**

* * *

On Monday evening, Anna picked McGee up from work.

After getting through security and getting cleared by Gibbs to come up to the bullpen, Anna took the elevator to the second floor. It dinged as the door opened and she walked over to McGee's desk, trying to ignore the inquisitive stares that were making her very nervous.

McGee looked up as she approached his desk, which was covered with paperwork.

"Hey," he said happily, smiling.

"Hey," Anna replied, smiling. "Hello, Gibbs," she added to their fearless leader.

"Hey, Anna," said Gibbs, smiling at her.

Anna looked at Tony and Ziva.

"Hey, Tony, Ziva," she said.

"Hello, Anna," Ziva said, smiling. "How was your weekend?"

"Wonderful, thank you," Anna said, beaming.

"Good," Ziva said. "Did anything exciting happen?"

"Hey, how do you know?" McGee asked, suddenly paranoid.

"I am a spy, remember?" Ziva reminded him, smirking. "We are trained to be observant. And Anna is pretty clear right now."

"Transparent," Tony corrected her automatically.

Ziva rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

McGee narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Ziva. "OK, what do you _think _happened?" he asked her.

"I think there is something you are not telling us," Ziva said. "We are a team. Teams do not have secrets. Spill."

McGee hesitated.

"Come on, Probie," Tony said. "What are you not telling us?"

McGee sighed and looked at Anna, who shrugged and nodded.

"Alright, Tony, you win," he said. "We got engaged this weekend."

"Ha!" Tony exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "Pay up, Zee-vah."

Ziva rolled her eyes, then reached into her pocket and handed him a fifty-dollar bill.

"You guys bet on whether or not we'd get engaged?" McGee asked.

"Oh yeah, your coming home has been very profitable for me so far," Tony said, grinning. McGee shook his head. "Oh, come on, McLoverBoy, it was only a matter of time, the way you talk about her and how long you've been together. Congrats, seriously."

"Thanks, Tony. What else did you bet on?" McGee asked, not sure he wanted to know.

"Nothing... yet," Ziva said mysteriously. "You will provide us with more opportunities. Perhaps at the bachelor and bachelorette parties."

McGee rolled his eyes again in annoyance, then looked down at Anna.

"Sorry about this. I should have known."

"It's OK," Anna said evenly. "We'll get them back. It was good to see you, Gibbs." Gibbs nodded, smiling. "You too, Tony, Ziva." They nodded as well.

"See you tomorrow, Boss," McGee said to their fearless leader. Gibbs nodded, smiled briefly, then Anna took McGee's hand and left with him.

"Sorry," McGee repeated to Anna.

"Never apologize, Tim," Anna said, looking up at him. Throughout their relationship, McGee had taught her all of Gibbs' fifty rules.

"I know, rule number six: Never apologize, it's a sign of weakness," McGee said. "But there's an exception to that rule. It's not weakness to apologize to friends or family."

"It's OK," Anna said. As the doors closed, she looked around for a moment, making sure they were alone. Then suddenly, she leaned up and kissed him passionately on the lips. The kiss lasted the entire elevator ride.

McGee was slightly stunned when their lips parted.

"Wow," he said, as the elevator doors dinged and opened and they stepped out into the lobby together. "I wouldn't mind being surprised like that again in the future."

Anna smiled. "Well... let's earn Ziva some of her money back," she said. Then, laughing, she raced McGee to his Porsche.

* * *

At the end of the next day, McGee nervously approached Tony at his desk.

Tony looked up. "Yes, Probie?"

"Tony, I, um... I was wondering if you could... do me a favor," McGee began nervously.

"Oh, and what's that?" Tony asked.

"I... I need to officially buy Anna an engagement ring. Price isn't an issue. But I have no idea what I'm doing," McGee explained.

"Well, neither do I," Tony pointed out. "But I'll take you up on your offer. So what are we talking? Diamond? Birthstone? What?"

"A diamond would be great," McGee said. "So you're in? How about tonight?"

"Sure. We'll go to Schwartz and Son in an hour?" Tony suggested.

"OK," McGee said.

An hour later, Tony and McGee arrived at Schwartz and Son and the ring searching began.

Tony noticed McGee staring awkwardly down at the selections.

"What's on your mind, McGee?" he asked.

McGee turned around and gave him a look of disbelief. "Tony, did you seriously just ask me that?"

Tony gave him an earnest look. "Come on," he insisted. "Yes, I did. What's up?"

"I'm really nervous," McGee admitted. "I've never felt for someone the way I do for Anna. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I really want to do this right."

"Well, can I give you my opinion on it?" Tony asked.

McGee hesitated, then muttered, "Yes."

"If I know you, you were rehearsing your proposal every night before bed, until the moment you actually decided to up and do it," Tony said thoughtfully. McGee looked surprised. "See, I know you too well. Look, you and Anna are great together. To be honest, I'm a bit jealous."

"Really?" McGee asked, surprised.

"Really," Tony said. "You tell Ziva or Gibbs that, I will slap you silly."

McGee nodded and continued looking. "I won't, Tony." He held up a ring box to Tony. "I like this one. What do you think?"

"I think it's great, Tim," Tony said honestly. McGee believed him.

McGee paid for the ring, then the two men left the store.

"Thanks for doing this, Tony," McGee said, as they drove back to the Navy Yard parking garage to drop McGee off at his car.

"Anytime," Tony said. "Scratch that," he amended, after a moment, "Don't make this a regular thing."

McGee smiled, knowing what Tony meant. He wasn't planning on it.

"See you in the morning?" he asked, getting out of the car.

"Of course," Tony said, nodding. McGee got into his Porsche as Tony drove away.

* * *

"I have something for you, babe," McGee said softly to Anna, as they were getting ready for bed the following night. Anna had moved into McGee's larger apartment the day before and they were both exhausted from the moving process (McGee had taken the day off, since they weren't working a case.) It had been an extremely long day.

"What?" Anna asked, looking at him.

McGee got the ring box from the nightstand and opened it and revealed the diamond ring to her. Anna's mouth fell open.

"Tony helped me pick it out," he said.

"Oh, Tim... it's... it's beautiful," she said breathlessly.

McGee smiled and slid it on her finger. He leaned down and kissed her.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you, too," Anna replied, kissing him again.

His tongue traced the outline of her mouth, asking permission for entrance. She opened her mouth and allowed his lips to mesh with hers and his tongue to assault her own. Their kisses quickly deepened and increased in intensity. In a fluid motion, McGee pulled Anna's pajama shirt over her head and dropped it onto the floor. His hands slowly traced down her bare sides, not stopping to rest when they arrived at her hips. Using his pinky fingers, he slowly pulled down her pajama pants and panties, taking care to caress her slender legs with his other fingers the entire time. Once her pajama pants and panties lay on the floor in the heap, his kisses traveled back up her legs to her stomach, then her breasts, as he caressed them, then her neck, and finally, his lips found her mouth again.

"My job is easier," Anna said, between kisses, as she easily slid off his boxers and tossed them loftily onto the floor.

McGee grinned, breaking another kiss.

McGee's kisses continued to move, from her mouth to her cheek to her earlobes, then to her neck, then her collarbone, always taking care to make sure he returned to her mouth and gave her mouth the attention it deserved.

McGee's hands slowly traveled down from her neck, down her slim arms, taking a moment to pause and intertwine with her fingers, before breaking that embrace and again caressing her hips. His hands moved along her slim inner thighs until they found her hot, warm sex, and he slowly slid his hand between her warm, wet folds. His fingers slowly and gently slid into her folds, one, two, three, until he had four fingers inside of her, caressing every spot he could feel. Anna gasped as new sensations of pleasure coursed through her body like wildfire.

She gasped again, as McGee's fingers hastily exited her body.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked.

"No. I'm just out of practice."

McGee couldn't resist an amused smile. He returned his attention to her body to regain his composure.

"Anna," McGee said huskily, his voice a couple octaves deeper than usual, "I want to inside of you so badly, it hurts."

Anna couldn't bring herself to reply; instead, when his eyes locked with hers, asking the silent question, she nodded, giving him a silent answer.

He entered her slowly, gently, taking care to be aware of any chance he might hurt her. When she gave him no sign that he had, they began to rock back and forth rhythmically together, making love. Waves of pleasure rolled over them both. McGee began slowly, then increased his speed and intensity.

Anna attacked McGee's lips with her own, her nails clawing into his back, as she met him thrust for thrust. Her body shook as she orgasmed. McGee cradled her hips and backside in his hands, allowing her to enjoy it. She could feel him orgasming above her, sending her into a second orgasm. They climaxed again together, finishing in an explosion of pleasure waves.

They lay there for a few moments, exhausted, and very much in love. Anna gently took McGee's face in her hands. He looked down at her.

"You're trembling," she whispered.

"Don't worry," McGee said, breathing hard. "I'll be alright." He rested his head on her chest.

She closed her eyes. "I love you, Tim."

"I love you, too," McGee replied softly, between breaths.

After several moments, their hearts and breathing steadied. Then McGee slowly rolled off her and lay next to her in the bed, facing her. McGee leaned over and gently pressed his lips to Anna's forehead, before they both drifted off to sleep in each other's loving embrace.

* * *

The week flew by and soon, the weekend arrived and Anna and McGee were preparing to spend the weekend in Bethesda, Maryland, in order to meet McGee's family. It was a short drive, so they got there in time for dinner.

"Hey, Sarah," McGee said, when his sister answered his knock on the door.

"Hey, Tim," Sarah said. "Who's this?"

"This is Anna," McGee said. "Anna, this is my sister, Sarah. Let us in, Sarah, and we'll tell you more."

Sarah opened the door and let them in, then she helped her brother and Anna carry in the rest of their weekend bags. As they were only twenty minutes from home, they hadn't brought much, just a change of clothes and other necessities.

McGee's mother came rushing down from the living room to greet them.

"You're here!" she exclaimed happily, hugging her son. McGee smiled, as his mother leaned back slightly and gave him a quick once-over. "Let me look at you." She smiled. "You look wonderful, Timothy. You look happy."

"I am, Mom," McGee said. "It's good to see you."

"Who's this?" Mrs. McGee asked.

"Mom, this is Anna," McGee said, "Anna, this is my mother, whose best quality is she always greets you as if you've been gone for three months, even when you've only been gone a day."

"It's very nice to meet you, Anna," said Mrs. McGee. "Call me Vivienne."

"OK," Anna said, smiling, as McGee put his hand around her waist.

"Where's Dad?" McGee asked, looking around.

"Upstairs in the living room, watching Jeopardy. You can go get him and tell him you're here and that dinner's almost ready," said Mrs. McGee.

"OK," McGee said, hugging Anna briefly before going upstairs to the living room to say hello to his father.

"Can we help with anything?" Anna asked, turning her engagement ring over on her finger so McGee's mother couldn't see the diamond.

"If you wouldn't mind setting the table, Anna, that would be wonderful," Mrs. McGee said. "Tim, you can go downstairs and get a bottle of wine."

"OK," McGee said. "Any in particular?"

"A bottle of Pinot Noir for your dad and I and whatever you, Anna, and Sarah would like," Mrs. McGee said.

"Do you have white California Zinfandel?" Anna asked Mrs. McGee.

"Yes, we do," Mrs. McGee replied. She shooed her son away. "Go on and get the wine. I'd like a minute with your wonderful girlfriend."

McGee grinned, then went downstairs to get the wine.

"You're a very special person, Anna," Mrs. McGee said. "I can tell Timothy thinks very highly of you."

"I'm thankful for that every day, Vivienne," said Anna. "Tim restored my faith in men again."

"What do you mean?" Mrs. McGee asked, confused.

"Well, even all the way up through college, I either never had relationships or the ones I got into were bad. Tim showed me that it wasn't my fault, that I could be me and that was OK. He restored my faith in men," Anna explained. "He showed me how to love again."

"I'm glad you two are happy," Mrs. McGee said, smiling. "I've worried about Tim since he joined N.C.I.S. and became a federal agent. He thought his father and I were disappointed when he went to Johns Hopkins, then MIT, instead of entering the Navy, but really, I'm glad he did what he did. It's his life, and clearly, he's successful and happy now."

Anna nodded, understanding. "I worry about him, too, Vivienne," she said. "But he's extremely good at what he does. I have military in my family as well, and quite frankly, I wouldn't want anybody else but the wonderful people I now know in N.C.I.S. protecting them and looking out for them, including Tim."

Mrs. McGee nodded, as McGee came back upstairs with two bottles of wine in his hands. At the same time, Mr. McGee came down from the living room.

"Hello, you must be Anna," he said.

"Yes, sir," Anna said, giving McGee a nervous glance before shaking his father's hand. McGee was tall, but his father was two inches taller than he was.

"We've heard a lot about you," said Mr. McGee. "It's nice to finally put a face to the name."

Anna smiled. "It's nice to meet you, too, Mr. McGee," she said.

"Craig's fine," Mr. McGee said casually.

Anna nodded.

After finishing setting the table, he, Anna, and Sarah helped put all the food on the table, then they sat down to eat.

"It looks wonderful, Vivienne," Anna said, smiling, looking at the meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn on the cob, and New York-style cheesecake for dessert.

"Thank you," Mrs. McGee said.

"So what's your big news?" Sarah asked, after they had been eating for some time.

McGee looked at Anna, who nodded, as she was currently thoroughly enjoying a bite of cheesecake and couldn't speak.

"Well, everyone, Anna and I are engaged," said McGee.

"Wait," Sarah said excitedly, her mouth, like McGee's parents', falling open, "how come we're only finding out about this now?"

"Anna moved some of her stuff in with me until we find our own place," he said. "We're looking, but it's been slow. Luckily, my apartment's big enough for now."

Mrs. McGee nodded. "Have you set a date yet?" she asked.

"Well... no," McGee said hesitantly. "Anna wanted to meet you two first, before we started planning anything."

"I understand," said Mrs. McGee. "But you'll let us know as soon as you do, right?"

"Of course," McGee promised her.

"Tell us about how your proposed," Sarah requested.

"We were at her family's home in Pennsylvania last weekend and we were both up at three a.m., so I decided to take her to Mount Davis and proposed to her on the highest point at sunrise," McGee said, smiling.

"Good job, Tim," said Mr. McGee.

"That is _so _romantic," said Sarah. She smiled at Anna. "You are one lucky girl, Anna."

"Thank you, Sarah, I know," Anna said, smiling back at her future sister-in-law.

Later that evening, after watching a few movies, everyone was getting ready for bed.

"Oh... Craig?" Anna awkwardly asked McGee's father. "Where are we going to sleep?"

"You're in Timothy's old room," Mr. McGee responded.

Anna shot McGee a confused look, then said, "Oh. Alright."

"I'm sure you two can behave yourselves," said Mr. McGee.

Anna smiled nervously and fought down a laugh, then responded, "Yes, sir, we will."

McGee grinned and followed her downstairs to his room in the basement.

"You have a basement room, too?" Anna asked.

"Yeah," McGee said.

"I guess we're both our own kind of recluse," Anna remarked, smirking.

McGee shrugged. "It was pretty wonderful in the summertime," he said, looking around reminiscently, "when it's the coolest room in the house, literally."

Anna smiled suggestively, then asked him, "Want to make it even cooler?"

"Or we could make it hotter," McGee responded, smirking. "The cool thing about my room is, it's part of the new edition. As long as we keep the door shut, no one will hear a thing."

"So that remark he made about us 'behaving'...?" Anna asked him curiously.

"Was purely for show," McGee said, grinning.

"You mean to say I'm not the first girl you've had sex with in this bed?" Anna teased him, laughing.

"I'll never tell," McGee retorted, laughing.

Anna grinned, then squealed with delight as he picked her up and carried her over to the bed, kissing her passionately. They made quick work of removing each others' clothes, then made love with the moon shining down on them through the bedroom window.

"So how much do you think Tony and Ziva are betting on us this time?" McGee asked her, as they lay together afterward, arms wrapped around each other.

"Hmm," Anna said, thinking about it. "Fifty bucks?"

"I'm guessing a hundred," McGee said. "We'll find out in a couple days."

"Your mom is pretty wonderful," Anna said. "I'm glad I met her."

"Good," McGee said. "She likes you."

"Good, I'm glad," Anna said, smiling. "I like her, too."

A little while later, they fell asleep together, holding each other close.

* * *

The weekend went by all-too-quickly. Sunday afternoon came around and Anna and McGee needed to leave to head home.

"I had a wonderful weekend, Vivienne," Anna said, hugging her future mother-in-law. "It was so nice to meet you."

"It was very nice to meet you, too," Vivienne said, smiling at her future daughter-in-law. "I can't wait to find out what date you set. I hope it's soon."

Anna smiled. "We'll call you as soon as we know," she promised. "Take care."

"Bye, Mom. Love you," McGee said, hugging his mother. "Bye, Dad," he added to his father.

"Love you, too, Timothy," Mrs. McGee said, smiling.

"See you, Tim," said Mr. McGee, also smiling.

He hugged Sarah as well. "I'll see ya, Sarah."

"Yeah, I'll see ya," Sarah said, nodding.

Anna and McGee put their bags into the trunk of the Porsche, then got into the car and drove away.

* * *

_Of course, you guys probably know McGee's parents are named after Sean Murray's mom and dad in real life, Vivienne Bellasario and Craig Murray._

_A quick question: I want to write a non-Tiva Tony/Ziva story, but I want you guys' input on something first. It starts out Tiva, then they have a fight, which results in some non-Tiva for a while... But my question to you is, what should they fight about? Something intense, but still petty. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks. :)_

_Please review! Thanks. :) Next chapter will be up in a few days. :)_


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey, guys. So I decided to update today, since I have time. I've been enduring a bad cold all day, which sucks, but such is life._

_Back on topic, just a quick official Kleenex warning. But in this chapter, the Kleenex warning is a happy Kleenex warning. :) Here is chapter 4._

**Chapter 4**

* * *

Six weeks later, on Memorial Day, the team could be found at the bowling alley Abby frequented, following a busy Saturday and Sunday helping Anna and McGee move into their new house. Abby was in the lead in points. Anna watched as everyone took their turn. At the same time, she was trying to ward off the nausea and dizziness she had been feeling for a few days.

McGee, of course, noticed she wasn't feeling well.

"Babe, are you OK?" he asked, as Tony went up and took his turn, bowling a spare.

"I'm not feeling well," Anna admitted. There was no use lying to him.

"How long have you not been feeling well?" McGee asked.

"A few days."

"Maybe we should go home," McGee said, concerned. "It's been a hell of a day."

"No, it's OK. Everyone's having fun. I don't want to ruin it," Anna protested.

"You're not having fun," McGee pointed out.

"I'll be OK," Anna insisted.

Her turn came around again and McGee watched as she got her ball and went up to the lane, still fighting to contain the dizziness and nausea.

Her world started to blur and sounds she heard started to waiver, as she approached the lane. Her head spun badly as she pulled her arm back. She barely had any strength remaining when she released the ball. Then her world faded to black and she crumpled to the floor.

"Anna? Anna!" McGee exclaimed, rushing forward and kneeling down to her. He looked around for Ducky, who was already rushing forward. "Ducky, what's wrong with her?"

"She's fainted, Timothy," Ducky said, kneeling down next to Anna. He laid a hand across her forehead. "She's quite warm. Anna," he added to her, as Gibbs dialed 911, "Anna, can you hear me?"

Anna stirred as she came to consciousness.

"Ducky?" she asked, looking around, confused.

To McGee, Ducky added, "She's alright, Timothy. Give us a minute."

Abby gently pulled McGee away from Ducky and Anna, to give them some space.

Ducky returned his attention to Anna. "Anna," he said quietly, so McGee couldn't hear, "I don't mean to be blunt, but I must ask, are you pregnant?"

Anna shook her head, but stopped immediately, as the motion made her world spin again.

"No," she said, closing her eyes again, "I... I've had my period and everything."

"Yes, well, you need to find out for sure," Ducky said, "for you and for Timothy."

"OK," Anna said.

The paramedics arrived with a gurney. Ducky quickly briefed them of the situation, then, with Anna and McGee's permission, they secured Anna to the gurney.

Abby came over as they were taking her out to the ambulance.

"Hey," she said to Anna, smiling, "you bowled a strike."

Anna smiled weakly. Then, after explaining that he was her fiance, McGee climbed into the ambulance next to her and rode with her to the hospital, never letting go of her hand the whole way.

* * *

When they arrived home late that night, Anna called Abby.

"Hey, Abbs," she said, "you wanted us to call when we got home from the E.R. Can you do something for me? I... I need to take a home pregnancy test. I would have gotten it while we were at the pharmacy earlier, but I didn't want Tim to see... The doctor didn't tell him... Ducky insisted... Please don't get too excited yet. I don't know what it will tell me. OK, see you soon."

Anna hung up the phone and went and laid down on her bed. She didn't realize she had fallen asleep until Abby shook he awake.

"Hey, here you go," Abby said, handing her the box. "I asked McGee to give us a minute alone. He's making you chicken noodle soup at the moment."

"Thank you," Anna said, before going into the bathroom. She took the test and came out a few minutes later. "Abby, don't freak out."

Abby, of course, flipped out. "What? Come on, Anna, do not keep me in suspense like this!" she exclaimed. "Tell me! Please!"

"It's positive," Anna told her.

"I knew it!" Abby exclaimed, jumping up and down. "No wonder you've been feeling awful lately. It's morning sickness!"

"Abby, shh!" Anna hissed. She grinned. "And every-other-time-of-the-day morning sickness."

Abby squealed with delight and hugged her, as McGee came into the bedroom with a tray of chicken noodle soup, apple sauce, and orange juice.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be in bed?" he said to Anna.

"Yes, Daddy," Anna teased him, though she didn't move. "But first, I have some exciting news."

"What?" McGee asked nervously, looking confused as Abby keenly took the tray from him and set it on the nightstand.

"I'm pregnant," Anna said, smiling.

"What?" McGee asked, shocked. Anna nodded. "Really? Wow, that's great!" He pulled her into an excited hug. "So that's what this was all along?"

"Yeah, you really scared us, Anna," said Abby.

"Sorry," Anna said. "I'll make an appointment with my OB/GYN as soon as I can."

"OK," McGee said, kissing her forehead. "Until then, you get in bed, dear, eat your soup, and get some rest. We'll call later when you wake up."

"OK," said Anna. She went over to the bed and climbed in.

McGee handed her the tray and he and Abby stayed while she ate. When she had finished eating and fallen asleep, they went out to the entryway. McGee hugged her and kissed her on the forehead.

"Thank you," he said, "for your help and for bringing us the great news."

"No problem," Abby said, smiling. "I'm happy for you guys. Keep me posted on how she's doing, OK? And call Ducky before seven tomorrow. He'll want to know what's going on."

"OK. I'll maybe see you tomorrow, Abby," said McGee.

"OK. Bye," Abby said, smiling before she left.

* * *

Anna slept until late the next morning. McGee did not wake her, knowing she needed the rest.

When she did wake, McGee provided her with a small-but-hearty breakfast of buttered toast, scrambled eggs, and skim milk.

"How are you feeling today?" he asked her.

"Not much better," Anna admitted. "At least the room isn't spinning anymore."

McGee nodded. After she finished eating, they called the clinic and made an appointment with her OB/GYN. The appointment wasn't going to happen for three weeks.

Anna sighed. "Does that mean I get to feel like this until then?" she asked rhetorically.

"What can I do to help?" McGee asked.

"Well, unless I go back to work tomorrow, I'm going to have to cancel all my client's appointments for a while," Anna said, groaning. "But I know it's not a good idea to be around horses or in the wilderness when I'm feeling like this."

"Is there a list of clients I can call for you?" McGee offered.

"You are so sweet," Anna said, smiling wearily up at him. "My book of clients and their information is in my backpack. It has the schedule in it, too. Cancel up to next Monday, the 8th. For now, I don't want to cancel further than that."

"OK," McGee said, taking her empty tray from her. "You sleep. I'll take care of it."

"Thank you," Anna said softly, before falling asleep again.

A few hours later, she awoke to McGee's arms wrapped around her. She snuggled closer to his warmth.

"Hey," she whispered, turning to face him.

"Hey," he murmured sleepily. "How do you feel?"

"Exhausted," Anna said. "It was nice to wake up next to you, though."

McGee smiled, then noticed the worried look on her face. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm worried about the wedding," Anna said. "We haven't even set a date yet."

"I'm not worried about that," said McGee. "I'm worried about you."

"Well, there's no reason to worry about that until we see Dr. Kelly," said Anna.

McGee could see he was not going to win this argument.

"Alright, then, what do you want to talk about instead?" he asked her.

"Well, I'd like to figure out what we're going to do about the wedding," Anna said. "I'd like to keep it simple, not only because I want to be married before the baby is born."

"So what do you want to do?" McGee asked. "Have it in a church? Outside? Just family and friends?"

"I'd like our parents and family to be there, including grandparents," Anna said. Anna's grandparents were in their early eighties and still living wonderful, busy, content lives. "And the team, of course. Abby can be my Maid of Honor. Ziva can be a bridesmaid. It can be just us, them, a few other friends, and a pastor in a church."

"That sounds fine, babe," McGee said. "Let's give our date at least a month, though, so everyone can make plans to get the time off to come."

"OK, informal invitations, it is," Anna said, snuggling up closer to him.

* * *

A week before the wedding, the bachelor and bachelorette parties were in full swing. The men had picked up McGee and taken him to Gibbs' house for a night of Texas Hold'Em, alcohol, gifts, and virtually killing each other on Mario Bros and Mario Kart.

The women, meanwhile, were taking a road trip to camp for a night in Rock Creek Park. Abby and Ziva had picked Anna up that afternoon, after getting off work. They were providing the food, wine, and other forms of entertainment, as well as the tent, sleeping bags and mats. All Anna had to bring was her pillow.

"There's a full moon tonight," Ziva pointed out, smiling, as they were driving away from the house.

"You know what that means," Anna said, grinning.

"Yeah, girl's night out!" Abby exclaimed excitedly.

Then all three women howled together at the moon.

"So what do you think the boys are doing?" Anna asked, as they drove to the park.

"Tony said he was gonna surprise McGee with a limo full of strippers and drag him places," Abby replied, grinning.

"He would," Anna laughed.

"I do not believe Gibbs will let him," Ziva said. "It is not a good idea to force the groom to do something he will not like or will regret."

"Well, we're hear about it tomorrow, won't we?" Anna asked.

Ziva and Abby smirked.

When they arrived at the park, they picked their campsite, set up their tent, then registered. Ziva built a fire in the fire pit and they enjoyed a nice, simple dinner of roasted hot dogs and s'mores for dessert, complimented by a glass of wine.

"I'd like to propose a toast," said Abby. Ziva and Anna looked at her, as she stood up. "'To the bachelorette who's crazy and fun, wait until your wedding is done; we'll only see you twice a year, when you slip out because your in-laws are here! Drink up now on your last night out, so you don't forget what having girlfriends is about.' To Anna and Timothy."

"Here, here!" Anna and Ziva said together. The women clinked their glasses together, then drank and went on roasting their s'mores.

Meanwhile, back in D.C., McGee's bachelor party was in full force. Tony had provided all the alcohol, save for the bourbon and the neat McCallans. And Ducky had provided the playing cards for the poker games.

The men were deep into their poker game and into the alcohol. Tony was the drunkest by far.

"So, Boss," Tony asked, "how exactly would you go about hand-cuffing a one-armed man?"

Gibbs smirked. "Very carefully, DiNozzo."

The poker game continued, then Tony suddenly drunkenly voiced, "Hey, McGroom, I want to play Mario Bros. with you."

"Tony, an hour ago, you said you wanted to play poker," said McGee, who was also drunk, but much soberer than his senior partner. "Make up your mind."

"Well, now I wanna play against you in Mario Bros.," said Tony, throwing down his cards and going over to McGee's old NES console. "Come on, McFraidyCat."

McGee raised his eyebrows at Tony. "McFraidyCat?" he asked, skeptical.

"Well... I wanted to use McChicken, but... I think that's copyrighted," Tony said, grinning obnoxiously.

McGee laughed, rolled his eyes and turned on his console. A minute later, he had the game up-and-running. He unwound his controllers and handed Tony the Player 2 controller. Ducky, Gibbs, and Palmer sat back on the sofa to watch.

"Ready when you are, Tony," said McGee.

The game began and soon, McGee was in the lead. Tony was just about as good as he was, but he was better.

An hour or so later, Luigi fell into a hole and died.

McGee turned to Tony and grinned. "Face it, Tony. I can even beat you drunk. Game over."

Tony laughed, taking another swig of his beer.

* * *

The wedding date, June 27, 2009, arrived much faster than Anna thought it would. Though she was still feeling frequently run-down, she went back to work the following week and managed to keep busy, instead of sitting around, bored, at home.

McGee awoke alone on the morning of the wedding. There was a note on Anna's pillow, telling him Abby and Ziva had taken her hostage until the wedding that afternoon, to get her ready.

McGee smiled as he read the note, then he rolled over, pressed his face into Anna's pillow, and inhaled deeply. After a moment, he rolled out of bed, showered, then got dressed. All the men present in the wedding were supposed to wear casual dress slacks and solid-colored polo shirts. Even Ducky was following orders, so as not to look out-of-place. Though McGee had not seen Anna's dress, he knew it was white, whereas Abby's was black and Ziva's was a deep ruby red.

McGee's hands shook with nerves, as he ran through his vows in his mind, while combing and gelling his hair. He ate a quick breakfast, then brushed his teeth and headed over to the church. Gibbs, Tony, Abby, and Ziva were already there, as well as Anna and McGee's families.

"Where's the bride?" McGee asked, looking around.

"Hiding," Abby said, smiling.

To lessen his nerves, McGee went over and said hello to Anna's family, who were milling around the church, talking.

"Hello, Tim," said Sam.

"Sam," McGee said, shaking his hand. "It's good to see you."

"Likewise," said Sam. "You know, this sounds cliché, but I never thought this day would come."

McGee smiled, knowing what he meant.

"Thank you for being the man of my kiddo's dreams," said Sam.

"Of course, sir," McGee said, smiling. He hugged Cara. "I'm glad you could make it, Cara."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, Tim," said Cara. "I'm glad to see my little girl marry her prince."

McGee smiled and blushed. "I'm flattered, Cara," he said.

Gibbs came over to McGee after McGee had greeted his family. He silently clapped a hand on McGee's shoulder.

"You did good, Tim," he said.

"Thanks, Boss," said McGee.

Tony came to stand next to McGee, as his Best Man, and the wedding party waited for Sam to accompany Anna down the aisle.

The music began and Anna and Sam walked down the aisle, she on his arm. McGee couldn't take his eyes off her. She looked beautiful; her long brown hair was up in an elegant twist, with some teasing curls dangling down her graceful neck. Her dress was brand-new and white. She also wore a borrowed necklace of small real pearls from Ziva from Israel. McGee smiled to himself; only he, Abby, and Anna knew she wore a blue garter underneath, which he would take off ceremoniously later. As for old, they had taken some of the material from her mother's first wedding dress and shown it onto Emmy's new dress. Small bags of blue confetti waited outside, to be thrown instead of rice.

McGee and Sam exchanged smiles, then Sam gave away his beautiful daughter to be wed.

"Are you ready?" McGee asked her softly, as they turned to face the pastor at the altar.

"Yes," Anna said, "I've been ready from the moment you proposed on top of the world."

McGee smiled.

It was a beautiful ceremony. Abby was Anna's Maid of Honor and Ziva was a bridesmaid. Tony was McGee's Best Man, while Gibbs, Ducky, Palmer, and Anna's older brother, Johnny, were groomsmen.

After the pastor said his bit, Anna and McGee turned and faced each other and exchanged their vows. Abby came forward and gave McGee Anna's wedding band, and Tony gave Anna McGee's band, and they slipped the rings on each other's fingers.

The pastor announced them husband and wife, then McGee swung Anna around and kissed her tenderly, as his wife.

Later that night, following an enjoyable reception, they lay close together, very happy and very much in love.

"Anna McGee," Anna said, grinning. "It has a nice ring to it."

"That it does, Mrs. McGee," McGee said, smiling and swinging her around and kissing her again.

* * *

_If I may say so, my absolute favorite line in this chapter was Tony's McChicken line. I hope you guys enjoyed that. I was up super late and really tired when I wrote that, and I laughed for hours, haha. XD I borrowed the 'handcuffing a one-armed man' quote from DarthAbby's profile._

_Another small liberty... I don't know if bowling alleys are open on Memorial Day, but whateves. :)_

_Please review to tell me what you thought. Thanks. I'll update again tomorrow. :)_


	5. Chapter 5

_Hey, guys. So where I live in North Dakota, it usually takes more than a foot of snow to cancel school (any grade, including university.) But due to whiteout conditions and 'no travel advised' (by the National Weather Service), school is canceled! Yahoo! Lol. I'm still weak and shaky from my cold, though, so now I'm officially going to spend the rest of the day having a personal NCIS marathon, sleeping, reading, and hopefully writing a little bit. I decided to update chapter 5 for you guys, while I cocoon away in my room, hoping to turn into a beautiful butterfly or dragonfly by tomorrow... haha._

_Thanks to all who have reviewed, alerted, and favorited so far, including those who have reviewed anonymously. The reviews are very encouraging._

_A quick message to Mudcrab: Have you corresponded with Laine at all in the past month or so? I haven't heard back from her in a few weeks. I'm getting worried. I hope she's alright. I send her an email about once a week, just letting her know I've been thinking about her and that I send her positive energy, well wishes, and hope and praying for her._

_Anyway, back to business. Posting an official cancer and Kleenex warning. Please do not read if it will upset or distress you in any way. Things will get very sad and intense from here on out, so if you can bear with me, wonderful. Here's chapter 5._

**Chapter 5**

* * *

During the week following the wedding, Anna's appointment day with the OB/GYN arrived. She described her symptoms to Doctor Kelly, not letting go of McGee's hand.

"I also took a pregnancy test a few weeks ago and it was positive," said Anna. "But I wanted to come see you to make sure."

Doctor Kelly nodded. "Well, Anna, I'm going to have the nurse do a blood and urinanalysis to confirm."

Anna nodded.

Half an hour later, the results were back. Doctor Kelly walked into the exam room, followed by a nurse pushing a sonogram machine.

"Well, Anna, I have your blood and urinalysis results back," said Doctor Kelly. She smiled. "You are definitely pregnant."

She smiled again as Anna and McGee hugged and kissed each other happily.

Anna and McGee nodded.

"Do you want to hear the heartbeat?" Doctor Kelly asked.

"You can do that?" McGee asked.

"Yes," said Doctor Kelly, maneuvering the tool around. "There we go."

"Tim, that's our baby," Anna said, smiling up at him.

McGee smiled and leaned down and kissed her. His expression fell when he saw the serious expression on the doctor's face.

"What's up, Doc?" he asked nervously.

"Give me a minute, Mr. McGee," said Doctor Kelly, maneuvering the tool around more. "It sounds like your baby might have an arrhythmia."

"What?" Anna asked, worried. "What if it does?"

The doctor said nothing for a moment; then her face lit up and she said, "Ah. That's more like it."

"What?" McGee asked eagerly.

"It looks like you're having twins," Doctor Kelly said, smiling. "That's _two_ heartbeats."

"But how?" Anna asked, both confused and elated. "Neither of us have twins in our family at all."

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Doctor Kelly said. "These things happen sometimes. I have a friend who is a fraternal twin and has four first-cousins who are fraternal twins. All six of them are different sets; her and her sister, then a boy and a girl, and two boys. With no history of fraternal twins anywhere in their family anywhere, even back to when their ancestors emigrated to America."

"Oh man. We're having twins, Tim," Anna cried happily.

"I love you, Anna," McGee said, leaning down to kiss her again.

"You'd better. I'm carrying your children," Anna teased him, laughing.

McGee laughed.

"From the looks of it, you're about seven weeks along, so my preliminary prediction is that you're due at the beginning of February."

Anna groaned. She wasn't looking forward to being pregnant all summer.

"Expect your due date to change as you progress, as I can't measure you until you start showing, plus the babies are very small right now and eventual ultrasound measurements are not consistently accurate anyway. I'm going to prescribe you some pre-natal vitamins, Anna," Doctor Kelly said, "so take them every morning, along with your daily multivitamin."

"OK, no big deal," Anna said, trying to pay attention to the doctor and not to giggle as McGee wiped the gel from her belly, kissing every spot he wiped clean.

"However, as much as I hate to burst your bubble, I am concerned about your weight loss and fatigue," said Doctor Kelly. "I'd like to get some more blood for a Complete Blood Count."

Anna and McGee looked at each other worriedly. Anna groaned. "Great," she said, "more needles."

"Sorry," Doctor Kelly said sympathetically. The nurse quickly drew some more blood, then the doctor said, "The tests should be back within a week. I'll have the clinic call you with more information."

"OK," McGee said. "Thank you, Doctor."

Doctor Kelly handed Anna the prescription for the pre-natal vitamins. "You two may go. I'll call," she said.

"Thank you," Anna said, before leaving with McGee.

* * *

On Monday morning of the following week, McGee and Anna were woken early by the phone ringing.

"Hello?" McGee answered groggily, when he picked it up.

"Hello, Mr. McGee, it's Doctor Kelly calling."

"Oh, hey, Doc. What's up?" McGee asked, rolling onto his side and propping himself up on his elbow.

"I'm sorry to call so early."

"It's OK. I'm usually at work by oh-seven-hundred anyway."

"The CBC results came back. I'd like you to bring Anna back to the office as soon as possible."

"What's wrong?" McGee asked, immediately worried.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you here. Just make an appointment for as soon as possible and I'll tell you more then."

"OK. Thank you, Doctor," McGee said, before hanging up.

He rolled back over and looked down at Anna, who was lying on her stomach, arms flat by her sides, smiling up at him.

"Was that Doctor Kelly?" she asked him.

"Yeah," said McGee, his voice not betraying his nervousness. "She wants us to come back into the office ASAP."

"Do you think there's something wrong with the babies?" Anna asked him, worried.

"I don't know, babe. Let's not worry too much about it until we see her, OK?" McGee suggested, although he was worried as well.

"OK. I don't have any appointments until ten today, so I'm going back to bed for a while," Anna said.

"OK. I have to get ready for work." McGee leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Whatever happens, remember I love you."

"I know, Tim. I love you, too," Anna replied, smiling.

McGee got out of bed, dressed, and tried to force himself to eat something, but he couldn't suppress his worry enough. He was very nervous about what Doctor Kelly had to tell them. But he would never let it show.

* * *

"Thank you for coming in, Anna, Tim," said Doctor Kelly, as she entered the exam room on Friday.

"Of course," Anna said. "We're worried. Is something wrong with the babies?"

"No, the babies are fine."

"Then what's wrong?" McGee asked, more demanding than he intended.

"Your blood test shows you have an abnormally high amount of white blood cells. I believe you have what's called Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Anna. I'm so sorry, Anna, it's cancer."

"Oh, God!" Anna cried, burying her face in McGee's chest and breaking down into gut-wrenching sobs.

"She's going to die?" McGee asked the doctor.

"We don't know yet. It depends how far it has spread at this point. We want to admit her for a biopsy and further testing," said Doctor Kelly.

The doctor kept talking, but Anna barely heard her over the pounding of her own heart in her ears. McGee was listening silently next to her, vigorously taking notes on his PDA.

"I want to refer you to our oncologist, Doctor Keating," said Doctor Kelly.

"OK," McGee said, his voice barely a whisper. "Whatever you need to do."

"I hate to say this," Doctor Kelly began, "but professionally, I have no choice. I have to ask you if you are willing to terminate the pregnancy, since you're still in the first trimester. It is entirely optional and I cannot make the decision for you."

"No," Anna and McGee said together, firmly.

"Very well. I'm sorry, but I had to ask. I will, however, still be the OB/GYN at the head of your case," Doctor Kelly assured her. "Doctor Keating will be able to tell you more, once you make an appointment with him."

"OK," said Anna. "Um... thank you, Doctor Kelly."

"I'm sorry, Anna. I hate to be the bearer of bad news," Doctor Kelly apologized. "I always have faith. Good luck to you both. We'll see each other again soon."

Anna and McGee nodded, then Doctor Kelly left the room.

The moment the door closed, Anna burst into tears.

"Babe..." McGee said softly, helping her stand and pulling her into his arms. "Shh. It's OK."

"No, Tim... it's not..." Anna sobbed into his chest. "I'm not supposed to be sick. I'm supposed to be having your babies. I'm not supposed to have cancer!"

McGee ran his fingers through her soft hair, not knowing what to say or do to comfort her. He wouldn't let her see the tears that formed in his eyes and fell slowly down his face. All he could do was hold her tight.

* * *

McGee did not leave Anna's side, upon arriving home from the clinic. Anna had not stopped crying since they left the clinic.

"Anna?" McGee asked softly.

"The test results must be wrong, Tim," said Anna. "This can't be right."

He reached to touch her shoulder, but she recoiled away from his touch.

"Please, Tim, don't touch me right now," she whispered.

"Anna..." McGee said quietly. "Please, babe, I want to help you. Please tell me what to do."

"I don't know, Tim," Anna said, wrapping her arms around herself. "My body is against me right now. If I can't do anything to correct that, you certainly can't."

"I'm so sorry, babe," McGee said softly. "Do you want to be alone?"

"No," Anna responded. "I do need to go lie down, though. I'm exhausted."

"Do you want me to join you?" McGee asked.

"Sure, if you want," said Anna.

They went into their bedroom and laid down on the bed. It seemed to Anna like she cried forever. Anna fell asleep, then McGee slowly got out of bed, careful not to disturb her, and went out to the hallway and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

First, he called Lombardi Cancer Center and set up the appointment with Doctor Keating, Bethesda's Chief Oncologist. The first appointment was going to happen on Thursday, July 9.

Then he called the only person it made sense to call, the person whose voice he needed desperately to hear words of comfort from.

"Abbs," he said, his voice barely a whisper.

"McGee? What's wrong? You sound awful," said Abby. "How'd the appointment go?"

"Abby, I... I can't believe this is happening..." McGee whispered.

"Tim, what's going on? What happened?" Abby demanded, confused.

"Abby... Anna has cancer."

"Oh, my God, Timmy..." Abby whispered. "I'm so, so sorry. Do you want me to come over?"

"No, it's OK. Thank you, though. Can you call Tony and the others? I don't think I can do it... And I need to get back to Anna."

"How is she taking it?"

"Horribly. She wouldn't even let me near her when we got home, like she was contagious or something. She cried herself to sleep a bit ago."

"Oh, Timmy... Of course I'll call the others. Call me if you need me and I'll come straight over, OK? I don't care what time it is."

"OK. Thanks, Abbs," McGee said quietly, before hanging up.

McGee laid back down with Anna until she awoke a couple hours later.

"Hey," he said softly, pressing his lips tenderly to her soft face.

"Hey," Anna said indifferently.

"How are you feeling?" McGee asked her.

"Awful," Anna replied.

"Do you want to talk about it?" McGee asked. When she remained silent, he added gently, "Babe, I know holding it in is not good for you."

"There has to be a mistake, Tim," Anna said. "I shouldn't have cancer. I'm only 28 years old."

The doctor had told them Hodgkin's Lymphoma occurred most commonly in people ages 15 to 35, although that it was more commonly found in men.

"I'm so sorry, babe. There's not," McGee said despairingly. "You know what Abby says all the time, science doesn't lie. I wish what the doctor said wasn't true, but it is."

He desperately wished he could take away all her pain, her despair. But he couldn't.

"What are we going to do?" Anna asked him.

"I don't know, babe," McGee said.

"How are we going to get through this?" Anna asked him.

"It'll be OK," McGee whispered in her ear, holding her as close as possible. "We'll get through this, I promise."

"I know, Tim," Anna sobbed. "You've never broken a promise you made."

"I don't plan to, babe," McGee said, snuggling closer to her. In his mind, he only wished he knew how in the world they were going to get through this.

* * *

The next morning, McGee woke up first. Both he and Anna were still dressed in the clothes from the day before. Neither of them had summoned up the strength to change into their sleepwear.

McGee slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb Anna, and went into the adjoining bathroom to shower. He turned the water on full blast and undressed while he waited for the water to warm up. He stepped into the shower, but did not begin his routine. He could only stand there, wondering why this was happening to Anna and him. They had gone from the happiest moments of their lives to the worst in less than 24 hours. At the moment, if there was a God, McGee hated Him.

Suddenly, McGee completely broke down into tears. He couldn't believe what had happened the day before. He felt like he had failed Anna, that he hadn't protected her from this terrible disease. He knew the cancer was not his fault, but still, he couldn't help feeling like it was.

It felt to McGee like he cried forever, but in reality, it was about 45 minutes. He summoned up the strength to finish his shower, then dried off, pulled on a MIT T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants and went back into the bedroom.

"You don't have to deal with this alone, you know," Anna said softly, hearing him enter the room.

McGee looked down at her. She had woken and taken off her eye mask, but her eyes were closed.

"Neither should you," McGee said softly. "I feel like I failed you, Anna."

"Why?" Anna asked him, as he laid down next to her and pulled her close to him.

"Maybe... maybe I could have done something to prevent this. Maybe it's something we eat. I could have protected you," said McGee, trying to reason with himself.

"Tim, you know this was not, in any way, your fault," said Anna.

"It wasn't _yours_, either!" McGee exclaimed, his voice rising suddenly. "Why you? What have we done to deserve this?"

"Tim, please stop yelling," Anna said quietly.

Suddenly, McGee froze. He hadn't realized he was yelling. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

"We've done nothing to deserve this, Tim," Anna said, holding him close. "Absolutely nothing."

* * *

The following week, Anna and McGee went to the appointment with Dr. Keating at Lombardi Cancer Center.

The nurse called Anna's name and she and McGee followed her to an exam room. The nurse took Anna's blood pressure, pulse, and temperature, then asked her questions about any medications she was currently on and allergies. Once she was done, she left the room.

A few minutes later, Doctor Keating knocked on the door, then entered the room.

"Hello, Anna, Tim, I'm Doctor Keating," said the oncologist. "I will be the oncologist assigned to your case."

Anna and McGee nodded. It didn't feel right to reply.

"To begin with, you need to know that Hodgkin's Disease in-and-of-itself is an immunosuppressant disease. Your being pregnant is also an immunosuppressant condition. The combination of both heightens the possibility of the cancer spreading more quickly."

"What's the treatment?" Anna asked.

"Chemotherapy or radiation, or a combination of both. We would consider surgery, if you were not pregnant, however, that is impossible, as you are pregnant, and we would still do a round or two of chemotherapy or radiation or both, following the surgery."

"So chemo and radiation are unavoidable?" Anna asked him.

"It depends how far it has spread," Doctor Keating said. "We need to do x-rays and a biopsy to better know what we're dealing with."

Anna nodded.

"The sooner we begin treatment, following the biopsy and x-rays, the sooner the chance for remission," said Doctor Keating.

Anna shook her head. "I don't want to do treatment," she said.

"Anna..." McGee groaned. "Please, listen to what the doctor is saying. We should do what he says."

"'We' should?" Anna argued with McGee. "This is _my_ body, Tim. These are our babies _I'm _carrying. I think what _I_ want has more merit."

McGee shot a desperate look at the doctor, who returned his look with a "This is normal" look.

"I don't want to do treatment at all, if it means harming the babies," Anna said.

"You are currently eight weeks along. To protect the babies, we cannot start treatment for another four weeks, until your second trimester," said the doctor. "I want you to keep walking and doing your leisure swimming for exercise, as pregnancy and delivery are both easier if you're in better shape. I'd also like to refer you to a dietitian, to make sure both you and the babies are getting the best nutrition possible."

"OK," Anna said, nodding.

"I also want to ask if you are open to seeing a counselor," said Doctor Keating.

Anna shrugged. "Sure," she said.

"Please understand, Anna, waiting until second trimester to start treatment will help the babies tremendously and certainly decrease their risk of harm from the treatment," said Doctor Keating. "Especially since we caught it early and we don't have to begin with aggressive treatment right away."

To McGee's surprise, Anna nodded at this.

"Is there a possibility the babies might get the cancer, Doctor Keating?" McGee piped up.

"It is possible," Doctor Keating said, "however, it has only been shown in about 17 cases worldwide. It is remote, but not impossible. I believe starting a lesser-aggressive treatment in the second semester will most likely prevent that. The drug ABVD, Adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine, is the least aggressive treatment. Next, we would try BEACOPP, which consists of bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine and prednisone, or Stanford V, which consists of doxorubicin, vinblastine, mechlorethamine, etoposide, vincristine, bleomycin and prednisone. We will also give you radiation treatment once you start ABVD."

Anna and McGee nodded.

"Let's schedule the biopsy and x-rays first, before we begin treatment in your second trimester," said Doctor Keating. "The biopsy can be done using ultrasound technology and local anesthesia, which means anesthetizing only the area on which we are performing the biopsy. This is the best approach to protect the babies. We can wait until as close to 32 to 36 weeks as possible before inducing the babies, if they make it that far into the gestation, then start aggressive treatment after they are born," Doctor Keating said.

"Will I be able to breastfeed, once the babies are born?" Anna asked.

"Unfortunately, as much as I support breastfeeding under normal circumstances, you will need to discontinue breastfeeding while you are receiving treatment, as chemotherapy drugs passed through breast milk may be toxic to the babies," Doctor Keating said. "You can talk to your OB/GYN and he or she will be able to tell you your options there, as to when you can resume breastfeeding and how you can go about doing so."

"OK," Anna said.

"You mean, you're done arguing?" McGee asked her.

Anna shrugged. "That sounds to me like the best option," she said.

"Very well," Doctor Keating said. "You will be admitted for a week while receiving your treatment. Do you have a preferred hospital?"

"Bethesda," McGee said immediately, before Anna could speak up.

"Alright," Doctor Keating said, making a note. "You should time off from your work, following your biopsy. Just a day or so, to recover. We'll call within a day or so with the results."

"OK," Anna said, nodding.

"More alternative treatments I recommend, which I believe you will appreciate, are massage, acupuncture, and aromatherapy," Doctor Keating said.

The doctor looked surprised when Anna and McGee burst out laughing.

"Sorry," McGee said, upon regaining his composure, "it's just that a coworker of mine is a huge advocate of aromatherapy. She'll be thrilled when she finds out she gets to have Anna try it."

Doctor Keating smiled. "Do you have any more questions for me?" he asked them.

Anna and McGee shook their heads.

"I always have hope, Anna, Tim," Doctor Keating said. He stood up and shook McGee's hand. "We'll see each other again soon."

Anna and McGee nodded.

"Thank you, Doctor," McGee said, before the doctor left the room.

Upon arriving home, McGee noticed Anna was uncharacteristically quiet.

"Babe, are you OK?" he asked.

Anna seemed to be in a daze. She jumped when he gently took her hand.

"Sorry," she said, "I'm just thinking. The doctor makes it seem so simple."

"I hate to say this, but he's paid to do that, babe," said McGee. "It's never simple." He wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Just hold onto that laugh, babe. That good laugh we had in the doctor's office. It was pretty wonderful, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it was," Anna said, pulling him closer to her.

* * *

_A little hope in the midst of all cancer patients go through can go a long way, believe me. It is SO important in cases like this._

_As to Bethesda treating cancer (in case any of you are wondering), what research I have done does show they treat cancer. I would imagine McGee would have Ducky pull some strings, to have her admitted, as a dependent, but this is just a guess and probably some creative licensing. Though I have done extensive Hodgkin's Lymphona research, there might be one or two small liberties in this chapter. Please be understanding about them. Thank you. :)_

_Please review. Thanks._


	6. Chapter 6

_I've been blessed with another snow day, while enduring this cold, yay! Not necessarily due to weather, but due to impassable roads (I would assume, outside of town), my university canceled school again today. Finally, they're getting smarter at canceling it sooner! So after posting this chapter, I'm going back to bed for a while, with some orange juice, Dayquil, and Kleenex._

_Before we begin, no, Doctor Kelly is not named after Kelly Gibbs (in case some of you were wondering.) It was amusing to realize too late to change, though, lol. :)_

_Quickly, to GrapeApe241, I'm not sure if I'm at liberty to say what's going on with Laine. Just in case, for her own protection, I won't say here. You're welcome to private message or email me, though, and I will explain what little I know of more privately, OK?_

_To anonymous reviewer luzma: Good to have you back! I'm sorry you were unable to review I've Seen This Movie after I was forced to disable anonymous reviews for a while, due to a flamer. I hope you are able to finish R&R'ing that story and that you can enjoy this one to its fullest._

_Also, a quick message to DarthAbby: I apologize for my message to you at the beginning of chapter 4. Though I reread chapter 3 multiple times, for some reason, I kept missing the whole Anna-fiance bit. Precious Pup left the section in a review, and it was only after reading that, that I realized what you meant, and corrected the error. I hope you accept my apology. This is one reason why authors have proofreaders/beta readers/editors, because we sometimes miss our own errors in our own stories. Thanks for catching it and sorry it took me so long to correct._

_Onto real busines. Before I forget, I don't own the "Probie" quotes and references that will appear in this chapter. They, however, were fitting for the chapter. Here is chapter 6._

**Chapter 6**

* * *

"Abby, what's all this?" Anna asked, walking into Abby's lab with McGee, the day before her biopsy, and inhaling strong smells and hearing strange music.

"Your therapy session," said Abby.

Anna looked at McGee, confused.

"She was this enthusiastic when she did it with me, too, four years ago," McGee explained.

Anna smiled and linked arms with Abby and walked into the side room of her lab.

"You're stressed, anxious. Thirty minutes in here," Abby said, "and you'll be back to your old self. Probably even better."

Anna sat down in the chair and Abby took off her shoes and socks. Anna looked at the shelf next to her, where three candles burned merrily.

"What are the candles?" Anna asked, inhaling.

"Frankincense, lavender, and Neroli oil," Abby answered.

"What's Neroli oil?" Anna asked, picking up the bottle and reading the label. "'Used for the treatment of depression, nervous tension, flatulence, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome?'" She cocked a skeptical eyebrow at Abby.

"Are you denying that more than one of those apply to you?" Abby asked her pointedly.

Anna swallowed hard, then looked at McGee, who rolled his eyes.

"I won't deny that I'm tense," she conceded.

"And so," Abby said, taking McGee by the arm and slowly backing out of the room with him, so Anna could have some time alone, "relax, enjoy, and inhale."

Abby and McGee left the room, leaving Anna to the relaxing scents.

"Thanks for doing this, Abby," McGee said, smiling. "I know you've wanted to do it again for a while."

"Of course, McGee," Abby said, smiling. "Tomorrow's going to be a long day for you guys."

McGee nodded. "Yeah," he said quietly.

* * *

Over the next several weeks, Anna tolerated the mildly-aggressive chemotherapy treatment fairly well. She was hospitalized for six days each round, in order to monitor both her and the babies' conditions; five days to receive the actual treatment intravenously, 24 hours a day, and a sixth day of observation before her discharge. She brought books and put up with as many movies with Tony as she could physically handle watching. While McGee kept records of everything on his PDA, Anna also wrote a daily journal. She was often tired and worn-down and it wasn't easy to keep food and drink down, due to the nausea the drugs caused.

The anti-nausea medication had little effect. Aside from the nausea, vomiting, and fatigue, however, she had no other side effects, so she was still able to work part-time, taking her tasks down to photographing strictly people. Anna had no plans to resume equine or wildlife photography until she was in remission, and she was OK with that. She was very pleased that she had not yet lost any of her thick, beautiful hair.

She and McGee made videos of themselves a lot getting ready for the babies' arrival.

One of the first most important videos was the babies' first ultrasound, at five months along.

Anna had been seeing Doctor Kelly frequently during her pregnancy and treatment, as frequently as Doctor Keating. She didn't mind her visits to Doctor Kelly in the slightest; they considered the good doctor not only a valuable caretaker, but now a friend. And today's visit was extra special.

"Hi, Anna, hi, Tim," Doctor Kelly said, smiling as she entered the room with a clipboard in her hand. A nurse trailed close behind her, pushing an ultrasound machine. "How are you two doing today?"

"Good," they said together. Anna smiled at the camera, then McGee panned to get a shot of the doctor.

"This is Doctor Kelly, our OB/GYN," McGee narrated.

Doctor Kelly smiled as she pulled on a fresh pair of latex gloves.

"Go ahead and sit up on the exam table, Anna," she said.

McGee paused recording to help Anna up onto the table.

"How are you feeling?" Doctor Kelly asked, as she prepared the ultrasound machine and got some gel.

"I've had nausea and have been throwing up a lot," Anna said, as McGee resumed recording. "Other than that, and being tired a lot, I've been doing OK."

"Good," Doctor Kelly said, as she applied gel to Anna's belly. "It's a good sign when patients take to chemotherapy well. Your blood test from last week came back and you are anemic, so I'm going to prescribe you iron and folic acid pills before you leave."

"Oh, great, more pills," Anna groaned. "I'm on AVBD until the babies are born. Then we were going to start Stanford V and radiation. Doctor Keating didn't want to start radiation until then, so as to not harm the babies."

Doctor Kelly nodded, as she began to maneuver the tool around Anna's belly.

"Ah. There we go," she said, after a moment. "There's Twin A." She turned the screen, so they could see better. McGee, of course, was trying to film everything at once. "And there's Twin B. They're pretty small for twins, but they've still got time to grow."

Anna and McGee smiled.

"Do you want to know the genders?" Doctor Kelly asked.

Anna and McGee looked at each other for a moment, then looked back at the doctor and said simultaneously, "Yes."

Doctor Kelly maneuvered the tool around some more, then said, "It looks like Twin A is a girl and Twin B is a boy."

"Oh, my gosh, both genders," Anna said happily.

"A princess and a terror," McGee said, grinning. "Abby's going to have a field day with our little girl."

Anna smiled as McGee leaned down and kissed her.

"And Tony's gonna be thrilled to have someone to teach football to," she added.

McGee laughed.

"Have you thought about names yet?" Doctor Kelly asked, as she handed them two pictures, one of Twin A and one of Twin B.

"No," Anna said, shaking her head. "I suppose we'd better get on that, though, huh? I've only got two months or so to go."

The doctor nodded and smiled, as the nurse cleaned off the ultrasound machine and took it away. McGee wiped the gel from Anna's belly, then Doctor Kelly said, "Keep taking your pre-natal vitamins, Anna, and take the folic acid and iron pills once a day as well."

"OK," Anna said.

"Other than that," Doctor Kelly said, handing McGee the prescription note, "you two are looking well, considering the circumstances, and are free to go."

"Thank you, Doctor Kelly," Anna said, before the doctor left the room. "I can't believe we're having one of each," she added to McGee, "just like the family Doctor Kelly talked about."

"Oh yeah, I'd forgotten she said that," McGee said, as he helped her get her coat on. "It's awesome."

"I love you, Tim," Anna said, leaning up to kiss him.

"I love you, too, Anna," McGee said, kissing her back.

* * *

A month later, Anna was six months pregnant. Though she had been tolerating the chemotherapy rather well up for most of the duration, for the past couple weeks, she had been feeling absolutely awful. Her side effects from the drugs had increased. She was now experiencing debilitating headaches that forced her to stay home on the couch, which sometimes felt more comfortable than their bed, and her nausea had become more severe and frequent.

McGee came home from work to find her curled up in a fetal position on the bathroom floor, having just barely made it to the bathroom before throwing up.

"Hey," he said, rushing over to her. "How long have you been throwing up like this?"

"Since before Noon," Anna responded, leaning against his strong frame in exhaustion.

"Why didn't you call me?" McGee asked.

To McGee's alarm, Anna suddenly broke down into tears. "I couldn't get to the phone," she cried.

McGee pulled her toward him and held her close. He could feel how weak she was. "Shh, Anna. It's OK. I'm home now. It's gonna be OK."

"How do you know?" Anna asked him, looking up through teary eyes. "Quite frankly, for the past hour, I've been wondering if it was possible for a person to puke until they turn themselves inside-out."

"I'm sorry, Anna," McGee said. "I would have come home if I'd known."

Anna nodded. She didn't have the strength to look at him. "I know," she whispered. "Never apologize."

McGee lifted her up, bride-style, and was shocked by how light she felt. She was normally slender, but this concerned him. He carried her over to the bed and laid down with her. She fell asleep very quickly.

A few hours later, McGee was woken by the sounds of Anna in the bathroom. She was throwing up again.

"Goddammit, this sucks," she groaned, leaning against the wall.

McGee jumped out of bed and rushed in to her.

"I hate to say this, Tim, but I'm ready for them to come now. I don't want to do this anymore. I don't wanna die, but dammit, I can't handle this anymore," Anna complained.

"That's it," said McGee, "I'm taking you to the doctor. And don't even try to say you're fine, because you're not. For one, you never complain, and for another, you _never _swear. You're not fine."

Anna, who had opened her mouth to protest, closed it and sighed. McGee helped her up and he helped her walk to the entryway and get her coat on. Then he drove her to the E.R.

"How can I help you tonight, Mrs. McGee?" the doctor-on-call asked her, after taking a look at her file.

"Well, I'm pregnant with twins and I have Hodgkin's, and until a couple weeks ago, I was tolerating my chemotherapy treatment well. But lately, I've had debilitating headaches and nausea that won't go away and vomiting that seems pretty endless. I'm losing a lot of weight, too," Anna explained. "We're worried that the babies are quite small for this far into the pregnancy and aren't gaining weight because I'm losing weight."

"I'm going to prescribe you stronger anti-nausea medication," said the doctor. "I would suggest making an appointment with your OB/GYN and oncologist and talking to them about how you've been feeling. You've only got another month to go before the minimum induction date. If you're still feeling this awful, you and your doctor might want to consider induction sooner."

Anna nodded, glancing at McGee, who had stopped making notes on his PDA. He looked just as worried as she felt.

* * *

A week and a half later, Ziva and Tony were helping McGee paint the nursery. After Anna's recent breakdown, McGee was refusing to allow her to help. He was very firm in believing she needed to really rest and relax, so she was filming. They had notified the studio and Anna was permanently postponing work there for at least the next two months. Out of concern about the recent breakdown, they had also made another appointment with Doctor Keating, in order to find out more about why Anna had been feeling so horribly of late. But it wouldn't happen for another two weeks.

The walls were a warm yellow, with a pretty powder blue trim. Tony painted the walls, then Abby and Ziva stamped on black puppy paw prints artistically all over. They were also putting in tan carpeting. After the nursery was finished being painted, the baby shower began. Gibbs sneaked upstairs to place a gift for Anna from him and the team, to surprise her with it later. Anna's parents had surprised her and McGee with a visit, as well as an early gift of matching twin cribs. McGee's parents had also come to the shower and given them twin Snuggies.

"Wow, Sarah," Anna said, as she opened the gift from McGee's sister and revealed two blankets, one pink and one blue. "These are beautiful."

Sarah smiled. "I can embroider the initials once you tell us names," she said.

Anna and McGee looked at each other. "Oh..." Anna said hesitantly.

"You _are _going to tell us, aren't you?" Sarah pressed her.

Anna glanced at McGee again, who shrugged.

"Well," she began, "for the girl, we were thinking Ava Elizabeth or Lily Rose. We could use your guys' input."

"Lily Rose," Tony voted immediately. McGee rolled his eyes. "I saw that, Probie," he added. "It would be awesome to have a niece who shares names with Johnny Depp's daughter."

"Oh," Anna said, laughing as realization dawned on her.

"For a boy, we were thinking Sean Harland or Jack Leroy," McGee said, smiling at Gibbs.

Gibbs smiled back; he appreciated the namesake idea, even if they didn't end up using it.

"Sean Harland is a beautiful name," said Mrs. McGee. "Lily Rose, too."

"Thank you, Mom," McGee said, smiling proudly.

"All these gifts were wonderful, everybody," Anna said, smiling and looking around at her gifts and the leftover torn-up wrapping paper. "Thank you."

"Wait, there's one more," Ziva said. "We have a surprise for you, from all of us on the team."

"What?" Anna asked curiously. "Where?"

Ziva beckoned to Anna to get up and follow her. Anna got up and took Ziva's hand and went with her, upstairs, to the nursery. McGee and the others followed close behind them. Ziva paused at the door for a moment, then opened it.

Anna's mouth fell open, as the door swung open. The cribs were set up next to each other, little mobiles of stars and music notes moving merrily in a circle above them; the walls and trim painted, the carpeting installed. Beautiful paintings from Abby were mounted on the walls, one on each wall, save for the wall by which the cribs stood.

And by the window rested a wooden rocking chair. The window was open and a gentle breeze was coming in, gently moving it back and forth.

"Oh, my gosh, you guys," Anna whispered, choking up. She turned to face them, teary-eyed. "This is wonderful."

Abby came forward and hugged her. "You're so welcome, hon," she said. "We love you."

"I love you guys, too," Anna said, smiling and hugging Anna back as tightly as she could.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Anna. The MRI shows the cancer is spreading. The ABVD treatment has stopped working."

Anna sat in stunned silence, barely hearing what Doctor Keating was saying.

"I hate to say it, but these things happen sometimes. Scientifically, cancer is still a new disease, so no one really knows how it becomes drug-resistant. You now have tumors in your stomach, which is why you have had to be put on stronger anti-nausea medication and have had difficulty keeping food down. I think you should seriously consider induction, since you're still losing weight, which isn't good," Doctor Keating said. "You're currently at 32 weeks. That's very good for twins."

Anna shook her head, confused. "No," she said, "I have a friend who had twins early and they have problems now, disabilities and other problems."

"There's always that chance," Doctor Keating conceded, "however, being born six to eight weeks early seems to be the best we can hope for, for now. Your twins are a good size, judging by the ultrasound, about four pounds or so each."

"How long will they be in the hospital after they're born?" Anna asked.

"At least until their due date, so until February first or so, depending how well they take to arriving early," Doctor Keating explained. "It would have to be a C-section. If we plan it, it doesn't have to be emergency, therefore Tim can be with you the entire time."

"What are the benefits of planning, versus emergency?" Anna asked.

"Well, for one, you get to pick your obstetrician," Doctor Keating said.

"Good," Anna said. "That means Doctor Kelly will be present."

Doctor Keating nodded. "Things will also be more calm in the O.R.," he said. "There's less chance of infection and other healing problems, too."

Anna nodded; she didn't want to hear anymore. "OK," she said, "OK, I'll do it."

Doctor Keating nodded. "Alright. You can call Bethesda anytime, then, to schedule your C-section."

"OK," Anna said, looking up at McGee worriedly.

"We should also talk about other treatment options," Doctor Keating said. "You remember when I mentioned that Stanford V would be the next treatment we try, as well as more radiation."

Anna nodded silently.

"We can start it soon after the babies are born," Doctor Keating suggested.

"Alright, if that's the next best option," Anna said.

"You will be in the hospital for a few days, recovering from the C-section," Doctor Keating said. "We can start the treatment within a week after they're born. You'll remain hospitalized for six more days, like usual, to receive the round-the-clock treatment, as well as an additional day of observation. We can also give you proper treatment of side effects, which I will warn you, will likely be worse this time around. If they are too severe, you will remain hospitalized longer."

"OK," Anna said. She wasn't looking forward at all to this new, more aggressive treatment.

"Do you have any more questions for me?" Doctor Keating asked.

Anna looked at McGee, who had stopped taking notes on his PDA. He shook his head.

"No," she said. "Thank you, Doctor Keating."

The oncologist nodded and shook Anna and McGee's hands, then left the room. A minute or so later, Anna left with McGee.

"Are you OK, babe?" McGee asked, noticing Anna's confused look.

"Yeah," Anna lied. She noticed the skeptical look McGee gave her. "I'm just not looking forward to this new treatment, is all," she admitted. "I mean, I'm happy the babies are finally coming, but I'm..."

"Scared of the next treatment," McGee said.

Anna nodded.

"Well, just think of the babies coming soon," McGee suggested. "That should make it a little easier."

Anna nodded and walked out of the center with him.

* * *

"Tim, I want to see them," Anna said, looking up at McGee from where she lay on the operating table, following the C-section on the afternoon of December 10. She couldn't see over the drape that separated her from the surgery.

"They're beautiful, Anna," McGee said, elated, as he watched his newborn son and daughter get cleaned off.

"How are they?" Anna asked, listening to the babies cry.

"They're wonderful, babe. They're getting cleaned up for their mommy," McGee assured her, smiling. She was weak from the anesthesia, but still as stubborn and impatient as ever.

Anna smiled. It was hard to be patient and hold still, as she was being stitched up.

"We're almost done here, Anna," said Doctor Kelly.

"I love you, Tim," Anna said, looking up at McGee.

"I love you, too," McGee said, leaning over to gently kiss her on the lips.

"OK, Anna, we're gonna bring you into Recovery for a few hours, then you'll be moved into your own private room, where your friends and family can see you," said Doctor Kelly. "Tim," she added to McGee, "you're the only one allowed in the Recovery room. We're gonna bring your son and daughter to the nursery while you recover, then they can be moved to your room later."

"Can I just see them for a second?" Anna asked the doctor. "Please, I just want to see them."

Doctor Kelly nodded. Two of the nurses brought the twins over to Anna, swaddled in white blankets with white caps on, to keep them warm. First, they handed the girl to McGee, who held her close to Anna's face, so Anna could see her.

"Hello, Lily Rose, my baby girl," Anna said, nuzzling her daughter's face with her nose. "You are perfect. You are so beautiful. You're our little miracle. We love you so much," she said, crying before the nurse took the baby from McGee and handed their son to him. "Hi, Sean. Sean Harland, our little boy. You look just like your daddy."

They had another minute with their son before the nurse came over to take him to the nursery.

"I'm sorry, Mr. and Mrs. McGee, but we need to take them up to the nursery now, so you can go to Recovery," she said. "You will be able to see them both when you're in your own room in a few hours."

"It's OK. Bye, my sweet little boy. You be good for the nurses now," Anna said, kissing her son's soft cheek before the nurse took him away. She looked up at McGee. "Tim, we did it. We made little people."

"Beautiful little people," McGee agreed, smiling down at her.

"Why don't you go out and tell everyone things are fine and I'll meet you in the recovery room?" Anna asked him.

"OK." McGee leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I love you. I'll see you soon."

Anna smiled, as she was wheeled out. He followed for a bit, then turned and went down the hall to the waiting room.

"Ladies and gentlemen," McGee announced, "we have babies!"

Everyone cheered, then rushed forward to greet and hug him and celebrate.

"Is she alright? How are the babies?" Abby demanded immediately, smiling.

"She's really tired from the anesthesia," McGee said, "but she's fine. The babies are wonderful. They were crying even as they were being pulled out."

Everyone sighed with relief and smiled.

"They're so beautiful, you guys," McGee said, wiping tears from his eyes. "Sean Harland and Lily Rose McGee. Yes, Tony," he added to the senior agent, "you got your wish."

"Haha!" Tony cheered, punching McGee lightly on the arm.

"When can we see her?" Abby asked, asking the question they all wanted to know the answer to.

"They brought her into Recovery for a few hours, so she can get some sleep. She'll be moved into her own room later, then you guys can see her and the twins," McGee said.

"So she's really OK?" Abby asked.

"Yeah, she's great, Abbs," said McGee. "You guys can see her soon, OK? I promise. No trying to sneak in to see her earlier."

Abby grinned; of course, a few of them had been planning exactly that. "You should get back to her. We know you want to be with her. Go tell her we love her," she said.

"Will do," McGee said, grinning.

He turned and went back to the recovery room. She was finally sleeping. He pulled up a chair and sat next to her bed. She was smiling in her sleep. He loved how she always smiled when she slept. It proved to him that, even amidst the cancer and the difficult birth, she still had somewhere she could go for total peace.

"Your daughter weighed four pounds, eight ounces and is seventeen inches long," the nurse whispered, smiling, as she came in to check on Anna. "Your son weighed five pounds even and is eighteen inches long. He's older by five minutes."

"Thank you," McGee whispered to her. She smiled, then left the room.

"Tim?" Anna whispered, waking up.

"I'm here, Anna," McGee whispered to her. He gently took her hand.

"How are the babies?" Anna asked groggily.

"They're great, babe. Sean is five pounds even and eighteen inches long. Lily is four and a half pounds and seventeen inches long," McGee said, caressing her cheek. "They'll be up in the nursery until you're out of Recovery. How are you feeling?"

"Tired, sore," Anna said. "How are everyone?"

"They're fine. They're anxious to see you and the babies," said McGee. "Abby tried to sneak in to see you, but even the Director couldn't clear her for that."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Figures," she said.

"They should be taking you to your room soon. I don't know when, though," said McGee. "Go back to sleep. The babies are perfect and I'm not going anywhere."

"OK," Anna said, before drifting off to sleep.

A few hours later, Anna woke up again, as they wheeled her into her own private room. McGee went out to tell the others she had been moved and could be seen. No sooner had he said that did everyone follow him back to Anna's room.

"Hey, guys," Anna said sleepily, smiling as everyone slowly filed into the room. "Look what we did."

Everyone smiled happily.

"Abby, we figured you'd want to be the first to hold Lily, besides us, of course," McGee said.

Abby grinned and went over to the bassinet Lily lay in, next to Anna's bed. She carefully picked up the newborn and held her in her arms.

"She's so precious, Anna," Abby said, smiling.

Ducky went over and took Sean out of his bassinet. He fussed for a minute, then settled down in the doctor's strong, gentle arms.

"That's a good job, McGee," Gibbs said, smiling.

"Thanks, Boss," McGee said, beaming.

As Abby passed Lily on to Tony to hold, Anna said, "Come here, Abby." Abby nervously walked over to Anna, who held her arms up. "It's OK, Abby. You can hug me without hurting me."

Abby smiled, then leaned down and gently hugged Anna, very careful not to hurt her.

After some time, Anna was getting tired again. The team left, in order to let her get the good rest she needed. She was going to have a long week ahead of her.

* * *

_Hey, guys. I hope you enjoyed that. You needed some happiness after the last couple chapters. So did I._

_I don't know if you guys know Sean Harland McGee is named after Sean Murray or not. But after I discovered what a beautiful middle name he had, I couldn't resist using it as McGee and Anna's son's name. It is a beautiful name, just like the beautiful actor. Lily Rose, yes, is named after Johnny Depp's daughter. But Lily Rose McGee flowed better than the other names I had in mind, so I chose it in the end. :)_

_I took the liberty of creative licensing, in order to allow the twins to be born at Bethesda. I'm not sure if they actually can be or not, but I'll take my chances, hehe. :)_

_One more chapter, my lovelies, to be posted up around Thursday afternoon. You'll have to let me know in reviews if you want more after then, OK?_

_Please review! Thanks. :)_


	7. Chapter 7

_Hey, all. Alas, classes are back on today for me. But I have about an hour and 45 minutes before my first class, so decided to update for y'all. Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews, alerts, and favorites. They are very encouraging.  
_

_Posting a final Kleenex warning here. This chapter will be very sad. This is your only warning. Here is chapter 7._

**Chapter 7**

* * *

The Stanford V treatment proved to be extremely difficult for Anna. She was not allowed to go home, following the difficult birth and treatment course. She immediately experienced more severe, frequent side effects; ulcers, nausea and vomiting, more frequent debilitating headaches, and drenching night sweats. It became increasingly difficult to keep food and drink down and she was losing even more weight. The nurses gave her painkillers for the headaches, and by the second week, doctors were forced to implant a feeding tube in Anna's belly, to help her body restore the vital nutrients she was losing.

Despite her failing health, it made her happy to know the twins were doing well in their warming cribs. The one thought that they would be going home soon sustained her during her endless days of 24-hour-a-day treatment.

Tears were shed the day Anna's hair fell out, at the beginning of her third week of treatment. She was, however, tolerating the tube feedings, which was progress. Any progress lifted their spirits and restored their faith.

On Christmas Morning, Anna woke up in the hospital, hearing the sound of cardboard boxes being moved into her room. She also heard a buzzing noise.

She opened her eyes and looked around, confused. "Tim?" she asked weakly.

Abby approached her bed. "Merry Christmas, sunshine," she said cheerfully. Anna smiled; she knew the bright smile was merely a facade to hide Abby's deep worry and despair. "Ziva and I went crazy at wig shops all over town. We figured we could tape you trying them on, to make another movie for the twins."

She picked up one of the lighter, smaller boxes and promptly dumped twenty or so wigs on Anna's lap— medium-length, curly, blonde-haired wigs (including a replica of Marilyn Monroe's blonde curls), short, brunette-haired bobs, long, wavy, black-haired wigs, and shoulder-length, straight red-haired wigs— as well as twenty or so differently colored and patterned bandannas.

"Wow, Abby," Anna said, looking at them all. "These are great."

"Well, go on," Abby said, turning on the camera and recording, "try some on."

Abby recorded, as Anna tried on various red, black, brunette, and blonde wigs. Though Anna was smiling, Abby knew she sincerely missed her naturally thick brunette hair.

After trying on about fifteen wigs, the buzzing sound stopped and McGee came out of Anna's small hospital bathroom.

Anna's mouth fell open as she realized a moment later what the buzzing noise had been: he had shaved his head.

"Oh, Tim..." she said, choking up. "Why did you...?"

"Well, I thought your new hairstyle was very cool," McGee said, smirking and coming over to her, "so I decided to follow the trend. You have to admit, it doesn't look half-bad on me."

Anna wiped away the tears from her eyes and smiled, as he leaned down and kissed her.

"Merry Christmas, babe," he said softly.

"Merry Christmas," Anna whispered, caressing his face lovingly.

"And Merry Christmas to my favorite son and daughter," McGee said, smiling and gently caressing his son and daughter's cheeks.

"Your _only _son and daughter," Anna retorted, laughing.

"Haha, ya think?" McGee asked her, grinning.

"_Oh yeah,_" Anna said seriously, lying back wearily on her pillows.

McGee laughed, caressing her face.

* * *

The team spent New Year's Eve in Anna's hospital room. Despite the hospital and room regulations, with Ducky's assurance that he would alert the oncologist and medical team to any change in Anna's condition, Doctor Keating had allowed the team to bring in chairs and blankets, to spend the night and ring in the new year with Anna.

The TV showed Times Square, the ball high at the top of a thin tower. The large clock showed _3:30 _in big, red letters, the seconds ticking down to the New Year.

When the clock struck twelve, McGee leaned down and gently kissed Anna on the lips. She had fallen asleep hours ago, exhausted.

"I love you, Anna," he whispered softly. He leaned down and gently kissed his son and daughter's foreheads. "And I love you, too, my beautiful babies."

McGee stood up and turned around to find Abby wiping away tears from her eyes.

"Sorry, she said, wiping her eyes hastily. "It's just that you're so different with them. With them and with Anna. It's so sweet."

McGee smiled.

"We should probably go," Gibbs whispered. "Happy New Year, Tim."

"Happy New Year, guys," McGee said, before they left the room.

* * *

On the morning of January 29, McGee rushed into Anna's room, before he was to go to work. He could barely contain his excitement.

"Anna," he said, rushing into her room.

Anna woke with a start and looked at him sleepily. "Tim," she whispered, "what's wrong?"

"I have great news," McGee said, grinning.

"What?" Anna asked.

"Sean and Lily get to come home today!" McGee exclaimed.

"That's great," Anna said, smiling. Though she was weak, she was thrilled.

"It's the best," McGee said, caressing her face. "I only wish you could come home, too."

"I wanna come home, Tim," Anna insisted.

"I know, babe," McGee said, "but you can't. You're too weak and—"

"Don't say that, Tim. I'm not weak," Anna cut him off.

"Anna," said McGee, "you are strong in spirit, but not in body. I know it's hard, but things are better for you here."

"No, they aren't, Tim," Anna protested. "You and my babies are going home now. I'm here with these stupid drugs running constantly through my system, making me more sick. I've been here so long. I hate it here."

"Anna..." McGee sighed. "These drugs are the only things keeping you alive."

"Please, Tim, I want to spend the beginning of the New Year at home with you and my babies, not in a stupid hospital," Anna said, crying. "Spending New Year's Eve and New Year's Day here was hard enough."

"Anna, you need to calm down," McGee said, seeing the numbers on Anna's BP and pulse monitors rise, as her agitation grew. "We'll talk to the doctor tonight, OK?"

But Anna would not be calmed. The twins, sensing their parents' tension, began to cry, which increased Anna's agitation and caused her heart rate and BP to rise further. Only when a nurse came into the room and injected some sedative into her I.V., did she stop arguing and fighting, and, against her will, relaxed and fell asleep. Two other nurses came in and held the babies until they calmed down as well.

"I'm sorry," he apologized to the nurses, when they asked what happened. "I told her the twins are going home today and she got upset, because she can't go home, too."

After the nurses checked Anna's vitals and made sure she was OK, they left the young couple alone. McGee noticed the normally-peaceful look normally present on Anna's face while sleeping was not there tonight. This upset him the most, because he knew her being upset was partly his fault. He knew how frustrated Anna was about her entire situation in general. But besides moral support and companionship, there was nothing he could do for her.

Sighing heavily with frustration, he went out to the hallway and sank down against the wall, burying his face in his hands. He hated feeling so helpless and angry.

"McGee?"

McGee looked up to see Abby walking toward him, a vase filled with dozen sunflowers in her hands. Sunflowers were Anna's favorite flowers. Abby had come early to help McGee finalize paperwork, then take the twins home and get them settled.

"Hey, Abbs," he said.

"What are you doing out here?" Abby asked. "Why aren't you in there with your amazing wife?"

"She's sleeping, Abbs," McGee said, agitated. "The nurses sedated her a little while ago."

"Why? Did something happen?" Abby asked, alarmed.

"She got upset about wanting to go home, because Sean and Lily are coming home today," said McGee. "I tried to calm her down, but she wouldn't listen to me."

After a pause, Abby said, "Not that I'm not on your side, Timmy, but I can understand where she's coming from."

"What?" McGee asked, frustrated.

"Well, think about it. I know her having cancer has been hard on all of us, but it's been hardest on her. She's the one lying in the hospital bed twenty-four/seven with the drugs going through her system that may not even be helping. She's lost all her hair. You and her babies are going home today without her. She has a right to be upset."

"I just wish there was more I could do for her," McGee said, sighing.

"But there's not," Abby said. "You're doing all that you can. I'm sure sometimes it doesn't seem like enough or that it seems like nothing at all, but it's _never _nothing. It all means so much to her. She loves you so much. You are the best man in the world to her."

McGee nodded.

"Do you want me to talk to her when she wakes up?" Abby asked him.

"No. Thank you, though," McGee said, getting up from the floor. "I should get back in there. There will be paperwork to sign today and other stuff I have to do."

"OK," Abby said, "but Tim, promise me one thing."

"What?" McGee asked her.

"Promise me you'll give both of yourselves a break. It's been a hard year for you both."

McGee nodded. "I promise," he said.

"Pinky promise," Abby said, holding up her hand.

McGee hesitated for a moment, then hooked his pinky finger with hers.

After a moment, Abby and McGee went in to Anna's room. Abby set the sunflowers by Anna's bed, so she would see them when she woke up. Then, taking care to keep as quiet as possible, they began to fill out the paperwork and prepared the babies for their homecoming that afternoon.

* * *

In the middle of the night, McGee woke up, hearing one of the babies crying. He went to the nursery in the next room and could make out a tall, slender figure rocking one of the twins, while feeding the baby with a bottle.

"Abby?" McGee asked softly.

Abby turned around, holding Lily in her arms.

"Hey, McGee," she said softly. "We tried not to wake you."

"It's OK," McGee said. "I've been tossing and turning all night anyway."

"Wanna talk about it?" Abby asked.

McGee sighed heavily. "I think she's gonna ask to come home," he said. Abby nodded, listening silently. "I don't know when, but probably soon. If she comes home, she dies."

Abby nodded understandingly. "I know, Timmy," she said. "But she's accepted that fact, or she wouldn't be fighting so hard to come home. She wants to spend the rest of her life with you and your babies. I would, if I was her."

McGee nodded.

"I'm not ready for this, Abby," he said quietly. "I'm not ready to lose my wife at 33 years old."

Abby gently placed the now-full-and-sleepy Lily back into her crib, then she wrapped her arms around him in a hug, as he let the tears fall, tears he had been holding in for so long.

"Unfortunately, Timmy, no one's ever fully ready for something like this," she said softly.

McGee sighed and returned the embrace, knowing she was right.

* * *

By the beginning of March, Anna's condition took a turn for the worst. Despite the continuation of the Stanford V treatment, the cancer had gotten too far ahead of the treatment and the medical staff. The tumors in her stomach had metastasized to her lungs, making it very difficult to breathe.

First, doctors had implanted a tracheotomy, which sucked the excess fluid out of her lungs.

But eventually, doctors had been forced to put her on a ventilator to help her breathe. She was still alright at breathing on her own during the day, with assistance from the ventilator, but she couldn't breathe on her own at night anymore at all without the machine's help.

McGee could barely wrap his mind around the fact that his beautiful wife was quickly running out of time.

"How long?" he asked Doctor Keating, looking down.

"It's stage IVE, meaning the cancer is present in more than one lymph node, as well as in other organs, her lungs and stomach. Three to six months, at the most," Doctor Keating said. "At this point, remission is impossible. Anna, Tim, I'm so sorry. We've done everything we could."

Anna, who was very frail and weak and could not speak, due to the tube down her throat, blinked once. The oncologist took it to mean, _I understand._

"I can give you something to keep up your energy, Anna," Doctor Keating suggested, looking down at her.

Anna blinked twice. _No._

McGee spoke for her. "She wants to go home, Doctor Keating," he said.

"In her condition, I cannot advise that, Tim," Doctor Keating said to McGee.

"Doctor," McGee cut him off, nodding at Anna, "she's sick, not deaf. Talk to Anna."

"Of course. My apologies, force of habit," Doctor Keating said to them both. He looked at Anna. "Medically, you are too sick to be discharged, Anna. If you go home Against Medical Advice, your life will drastically shorten. I cannot, however, prevent you from releasing yourself A.M.A. If that is your decision, I won't stop you."

"She's wanted to go home for months, Doctor," McGee insisted. "Give us the paperwork and we'll fill it out. Please, just let her go home to our family."

After a long moment, Doctor Keating nodded.

"Very well," he said, "if that is your decision. However, if I may advise you one more time?"

After he saw Anna blink once, McGee nodded.

"Please at least consider hiring temporary in-home care. It's in Anna's best interest. It can make the rest of her life so much easier," Doctor Keating said. "If you choose a nurse, they can provide medical treatment, as well as pain management. No one deserves to die in pain, in a hospital or in the comfort of their home."

"We'll definitely do that," McGee said, nodding.

"Alright," Doctor Keating said. "I will have a nurse bring in the paperwork for you to sign."

"Thank you, Doctor," McGee said, shaking the doctor's hand.

Doctor Keating nodded. "Good luck to you both," he said, before leaving the room.

McGee looked at Anna and smiled bravely, as he took her hand.

"You're going home," he said, smiling happily.

Anna couldn't smile around the ventilator, but McGee could tell she was trying, by the way the corners of her eyes crinkled, which they always did when she smiled.

* * *

That afternoon, Anna and McGee arrived home from the hospital. Their in-home care nurse, Alicia, met them at the front door.

"Hi, guys," she said, smiling. "Are you happy to be home?"

Anna and McGee nodded, smiling appreciatively. Alicia helped Anna into her favorite huge Ottoman chair in the living room and set her oxygen tank close to the chair. She was now on oxygen 100 percent of the time.

"I need to go put the twins down for a nap," McGee said to Anna. "Are you OK?"

Anna nodded silently and sighed wearily. McGee knew she was extremely tired and needed to rest.

"Are you hungry, Anna?" Alicia asked.

Anna nodded.

"I'll go make you some soup," Alicia said, before leaving the room to go to the kitchen.

"Thank you," Anna said to her. Her voice was still hoarse from the ventilator. A few minutes later, Alicia came back with the soup and she began to eat. She noticed McGee standing in the door frame, watching her. "Hey. Did the twins go down easy?"

"Yeah. They're such good babies," McGee said.

There was a long pause, then Anna asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"Everything," McGee said, tearing up.

"Wanna talk about it?" Anna asked.

McGee paused for a long moment, then said, "I don't know if I can."

"Babe," Anna said, holding him close, "you don't have to be strong all the time."

"Yes, I do," McGee said softly, choking up.

To give his hands something to do, McGee nestled a blanket all around Anna, so only her arms were exposed.

"Tim, stop doing that for me for a second," Anna said, she said, setting the soup aside and taking his hands in hers.

"OK, babe, I'm sorry," said McGee, looking down at her.

"I wanna talk to you for a second," said Anna.

"Not yet. Not about that. Please, Anna. I'm not ready," McGee begged her, swallowing hard past the lump in his throat.

"I know, Tim," Anna said. "But we're running out of time."

"I know," McGee said, caressing her face. "It's just that we've had the greatest three years of our lives and I don't want them to end."

"Believe me, babe, when I say I don't want them to, either," Anna said. "But I can't sit around and pretend like nothing's wrong anymore."

McGee nodded, tears forming in his eyes.

"You have loved me every second we've known each other," Anna said, lifting his chin with her finger, "and I'm so thankful for that."

McGee nodded again. Suddenly, he couldn't hold it in anymore. He broke down into gut-wrenching sobs and took her into his arms and held her, as he cried bitterly.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "How can you be so calm about this?"

"Believe me, I just calmed down recently," Anna said. "We need to keep working through this together. And you need to take care of yourself, just as much as you do me. We will both come out of this better if you do, because you have taken such wonderful care of me."

"I've done my best, Anna," McGee sobbed. "If it wasn't enough, please forgive me."

"Tim, don't you dare say that. It was more than enough. You've been my world," Anna said. "But now our worlds are changing, whether we like it or not. It will be hard, but you'll be OK. You have so many people who love you and will help take care of you and Sean and Lily."

McGee nodded. He took a deep breath, then smiled bravely at her. Very carefully, taking care not to jostle her oxygen line, he laid down next to her, ignoring the fact that the chair was not big enough to hold them both, and they held each other as close as they possibly could.

"I love you, Tim," Anna said, snuggling up close to him. "I always will."

"I love you, too, Anna," said McGee, holding her close. "I always have."

* * *

"Tim, I'm so sorry, for everything," Anna said, a week later, as she shivered under the covers of their bed, hot with a high fever, a symptom of an infection she was currently enduring, due to her suppressed immune system from the previous treatments. She struggled to breathe, even with the C-PAP's assistance.

"Anna Kathryn McGee, you stop that right now," McGee said firmly. "Just like you told me last week, you have nothing to be sorry about. All you have ever done is love me. You just rest."

He climbed into bed with her and wrapped his arms around her, in an attempt to warm her.

"Where are the babies?" Anna asked, looking around.

"With yours and my parents," McGee responded. Suddenly, he got nervous. "Why?"

"I wanna see them, my mom and dad, too," said Anna.

"Anna, no, please. Don't you dare leave me. Not today. Please," McGee pleaded with her.

"I'm so sorry, Tim," Anna said, crying.

"Shh. Don't do that, Anna," McGee said, wiping the tears from her face, as Mrs. McGee, holding three-month-old Lily in her arms, knocked on the door.

"Anna, dear, the team is here," she said kindly. "Would you like to see them?"

"Abby will never forgive you if you die before she gets to say goodbye," McGee said to Anna, smiling bravely, as he climbed out of the bed.

Anna nodded. "Yes, please," she said to Mrs. McGee.

Mrs. McGee nodded and stepped out of the room. A moment later, a teary-eyed Abby stepped into the room, another vase of sunflowers in her hands.

"Really, Abby, more sunflowers?" Anna asked her, surprised; though, of course, she appreciated the flowers.

Abby smiled. "Are you OK?" she asked, placing the vase next to Anna's bed. "I mean, are you in any pain?"

"No, Abby," Anna said, smiling. "Alicia's taken very good care of me. But no one's taken better care of me than Tim."

Abby nodded, then left the room, as the tears began to fall.

Anna's parents and brother came in and spent a few cherished final minutes with their daughter. Then, after McGee's parents and Sarah spent a few minutes with Anna, one by one, each member of the team filed into the room and said their last goodbyes to her.

Abby reentered the room, the first team member to say a final goodbye.

"Come here, Abby," Anna said.

Abby slowly, nervously walked over to her bed, then leaned down and gently, but firmly hugged her, sobbing all the while. Anna returned the hug as firmly as she could.

"It's OK, Abbs," Anna said, stroking the young woman's hair, which was not up in its usual pigtails. "I've made my peace. You guys will be OK. Put up your pigtails. You'll feel better."

Abby nodded, then kissed Anna's cheek and put up her pigtails, before stepping back to let Tony by her.

Tony went up to Anna and, smiling bittersweetly, said, "He's really gonna miss you, you know. We all are."

Anna smiled. "Don't be too hard on him, OK? Take care of him for me. Please, Tony."

Tony nodded. "I will," he promised her.

Ducky entered the room and went up to Anna.

"Thank you, Ducky, for doing so much for us," Anna said. "When I first got sick and at Bethesda and with the twins. Thank you for everything. Take care of him for me, OK?"

"Of course, my dear. You have my word. Timothy needed someone like you in his life, even if it, unfortunately, wasn't for long."

Anna nodded and smiled appreciatively. "Thank you."

Palmer, who stood a few feet behind the doctor, came forward and simply said, "You're a really, really good person."

Anna smiled. "Thanks, Jimmy. So are you."

Ziva came forward and took Jimmy's place. For a long moment, she looked like she didn't know what to say.

Then, finally, she said, "I will admit that I do not really know what to say, except... I am glad I got to know you."

Anna nodded; she knew what it took for Ziva to say that so sincerely. "Me too, Ziva," she said, smiling. "Now I can watch all your sixes from up there."

Ziva smiled, then stepped back to let Gibbs say a few words.

"Semper Fi," Anna said to him, smiling. She tried to salute him, but didn't have the strength.

"At ease, kid," Gibbs said softly, gently laying a hand on her shoulder before turning and leaving the room.

"We love you, Anna," Abby said, before leaving the room with Ziva, Mrs. McGee, and Mrs. Springs.

"I love you guys, too," Anna replied, smiling at her.

Finally, it was just Anna and McGee.

"Alone at last," she said.

"I love you, Anna," McGee whispered in her ear. "Thank you for coming over to me that night and changing my life. My life was nothing until I met you."

"Tim, I'll have you know, going over and talking to you that night was one of the easiest things I've ever done," Anna whispered back, closing her eyes. You gave me the most amazing life. No man in the world has ever loved me like you did."

"No one ever loved me like you, babe," McGee replied softly.

When he didn't get a response, he knew his beautiful, kind, sweet Anna was gone.

"I love you, Anna," McGee whispered to her, crying. "Be good up there. I don't wanna hear when I get there that you've been causing trouble the whole time."

He smiled, then he leaned over and kissed her soft lips one last time, before laying his head on her chest and crying.

* * *

"Are you OK, McGee?" Abby asked quietly, from the doorway of the church, at the funeral three days later.

"No, I'm not, Abbs," McGee responded, through his tears. "How am I supposed to go in there and say goodbye for real to the love of my life? I'm not ready."

"I know. It's hard to believe she's really gone," Abby said, taking him into her arms. "She's always gonna be with you, you know. She could never leave you."

"Timothy," Mrs. McGee said, coming to the back of the church where Abby and McGee stood, "it's time."

"I can't do this, Mom," McGee cried.

"It's OK, sweetie," said Mrs. McGee, putting her arms around her son. "Just lean on us, OK? We're right here. We'll be with you. We're not going anywhere."

"They want to start," Mr. McGee said quietly, as he came out of the sanctuary.

Abby looked up at McGee, waiting.

"OK," he said, taking a deep breath, then looking up, "I'm ready."

Leaning against Abby, Ziva, Sarah, and his mother, McGee slowly walked with them to the front of the church, and up to the casket. McGee looked down at his beautiful wife one last time.

"Anna, you gave me such a wonderful life, in the time that we were together. You always loved me, respected me, and you always made me feel like the best man in the world. You changed my life. Thank you for all the love you gave me and thank you for my son and daughter. I love you. Goodbye," he said quietly, before returning to his seat, crying, as he clutched a picture of the two of them with their twins.

* * *

Later that night, McGee looked up from writing in his journal, hearing a drumroll-like knocking on the front door. As he got up, he heard squeaking. McGee smiled; he knew who it was now. The knocking continued until he looked through the peephole.

"Ha, ha!" Tony said, his distorted image filling the glass. "Open up, McGee."

McGee opened the door a bit. "Please, Tony, not tonight," he murmured.

"Let me in," Tony insisted evenly.

McGee opened the door wider and Tony stepped inside.

"What do you want, DiNozzo? I really want to be alone tonight," McGee said.

"No, you don't. Not tonight," Tony said.

"DiNozzo, I'm begging you, please leave me alone tonight, OK?" McGee demanded.

"Can't. I have a promise to keep: I promised Anna I'd look after you. Hey, you got any beer?" he asked, going into the kitchen and opening the fridge.

"Hey, would you stop? I just want to be alone!" McGee yelled. He sighed heavily, hearing the twins starting to cry upstairs in their nursery. He had woken them up. He went upstairs, ignoring Tony, and took Sean out of his crib. Tony took Lily out of her crib and held her.

"Hey, listen, man, I'm sorry. I just wanted—" Tony began, as he walked back and forth with the infant girl.

"No, I know. I know," McGee cut him off, bouncing Sean to try and lessen his frustration. "I know you're just trying to help."

Tony nodded. "Look, Tim, I just wanted to make sure you were OK," he said quietly. "You really shouldn't be alone tonight. You don't have to deal with this alone."

McGee nodded. "Thanks, Tony," he said.

Tony nodded and lifted his beer.

"To Anna," he said.

McGee smiled. "To Anna."

They clinked their beers together carefully with their free hands, then drank to Anna's memory.

* * *

_Well, I hope I didn't make you guys too depressed with this story. It __is dedicated with much thanks and in friendship to Laine3112, who helped me write bits of it, by giving me advice, suggestions, input, and friendship. Thank you, Laine. :)_

_Anyone want me to continue it? Unless I hear otherwise, this is where the story ends. Also, should I take out or keep the Tony/McGee conversation? Is the story's end OK where it is? I will continue it, if readers so desire. You guys just have to let me know what you think/want. :)_

_As always, please review. Thank you. :)_

_Until next time (which, hopefully, will be soon), lots of love,_

_Renthead07_


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